Download Overview of Fungi

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CHAPTER 26 ACTIVE READING WORKSHEETS
FUNGI
Section 26-1: Overview of Fungi
Read the passage below, which covers topics from your textbook. Answer the
questions that follow.
Fungi are eukaryotic, nonphotosynthetic organisms, and most are
multicellular heterotrophs. Most fungi are microscopic molds or yeasts.
Molds, such as the fungus that grows on bread and oranges, are tangled
masses of filaments of cells. Yeasts are unicellular organisms whose colonies
resemble those of bacteria.
Filaments of fungi are called hyphae. The cell walls of hyphae contain
chitin, a complex polysaccharide not found in bacteria, protists, or other
microorganisms but found in insects. The presence of chitin distinguishes
cell walls of fungi from those of plants, which have cellulose but not chitin.
While animal and many microorganisms ingest their nutrients before
digesting them, fungi secrete enzymes and then absorb the digested nutrients
through their cell wall. Like animals, fungi store energy in the form of
glycogen.
Read each question and write your answer in the space provided.
SKILL: Recognizing Similarities and Differences
One reading skill is the ability to recognize similarities and differences between
phrases, ideas, or things.
1. How are molds and yeasts alike?
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2. Suppose a specimen is found to contain glycogen. How might this specimen
be classified?
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Circle the letter of the word that best completes the statement.
3. The polysaccharide chitin is found in
a. insects.
b. fungi.
c. bacteria.
d. Both (a) and (b)
Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Modern Biology
105
Overview of Fungi