Post lab questions

1) Which characteristics best define fungi?

2) On what basis are fungi classified?
3) Explain the term zygospores fungi?
4) Explain the term sac fungi? How do sac fungi reproduce asexually?
5) Draw and explain a diagram of the life cycle of atypical mushroom?
6) Give an examples of imperfect fungi that serve humans and examples of those that cause
disease.

Based on this fungi experiment, the characteristic that best define fungi is, it is a eukaryotic organism
and it can most be found in a habitat that has a combination of moisture and availability of organic
matters. Fungi are also typically non-motile and it has a bigger size than bacteria. Other than that,
the cell wall of fungi is made of chitin and not cellulose like plants. Chitin is a polysaccharide that
typically found in exoskeleton of insects and other arthropods. Fungi has a body plan consist of long,
branched, threadlike filaments called hyphae and it forms a tangled mass known as mycelium.
Furthermore, fungi can have two different types of hyphae either coenocytic or septate hyphae.
Fungi are also a heterotroph organism that obtain their nutrients from other organisms. The fungi
heterotrophic style is either saprophytic, parasite or symbiotic. Fungi are also able to reproduce
asexually or sexually.

Next, fungi are mainly classified especially on the basis that involves life cycle which is sexual
reproduction and characteristic of sexual spores. In spite of that, most fungi are classified on the
basis of their asexual spores only because many fungi do not produce sexual spores. In addition,
fungi are also classified on the basis of mode of spore formation, morphology of mycelium and their
fruiting bodies. These form the basis for the division of the fungi kingdom into various classes. Fungi
are classified into five class which is chytridiomycota, zygomycota, ascomycota, basidiomycota and
deuteromycota.

Besides, in this experiment, the term zygospores fungi refer to a class of fungi called zygomycota
which produce a sexual spores structure called zygospores that aid fungi to reproduce sexually.
Zygospores is a diploid reproductive stage in a fungi life cycle and it is formed in the
zygosporangium. The nuclei fusion of haploid cells produces zygospores. Zygospores in fungi are
generated by the union of hyphae of various mating types. For example, the hyphae of Rhizophus
sporangia touch the hyphae of another Rhizophus mycelium and combine to make a round ball
which is known as zygospores in order to undergo sexual reproduction.

In addition, the term sac fungi refer to the class of fungi called ascomycetes that belongs to the
phylum asomycota. The sac fungi are known for its unique characteristic due to the presence of
saclike ascii or ascus which is a sac-like structure place that produce ascospores. Sac fungi reproduce
asexually by going through budding or fission using an asexual spore called conidia which can
produce a large number of haploid conidiospores. Conidia is a vegetative non-haploid spore that is
formed by mitosis which is also known as mitospores and have a single nucleus that are developed
externally at the tips of a specializes hyphae called conidiophores. This asexual reproduction of sac
fungi process, allows the fungi to reproduce faster than going through sexual reproduction.

Furthermore, above is a life cycle of a typical mushroom. A typical mushroom usually undergoes a
sexual reproduction. Firstly, the mushroom fruitbody will release it spores from it gills which is
located under it cap and the spores that are produced could be either female or male. Mushroom
can produce hundreds of thousands of spores. Then each of the female and male spore will
germinate and grow into hyphae resulting in two hyphae which is a female hyphae and male hyphae.
After that, both of the hyphae will meet and fuse with each other then create a mycelium and
undergo mycelial expansion. Mycelium refers to the mushroom's web-like root system, which is
rooted to the ground but capable of branching out. This web-like system provides fungi with a stable
and nutrient-rich environment to start producing mushrooms. When mycelium is ready to produce
mushrooms, it begins to create structures known as hyphal knot which is also known as primordium,
and the act of making hyphal knots is known as “pinning”. After that, the hyphal knot will grow into a
baby mushroom and eventually become a mushroom with a mature fruit body. Lastly, an imperfect
fungi that serve humans is Penicillium meanwhile examples of fungi that causes disease are
Aspergillus, Tinea versicolor, Tinea corporis, Trichophyton, and Candida albicans.