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Fungi
-Food or Foe?-
Kingdom Fungi
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Cell Number: Multicellular (with specialized
tissues)
Cell Type: Eukaryotic (Cell wall made of
chitin)
Feeding: Heterotrophic Decomposers
(some parasitic)
Reproduction: Sexual with spores
Basidiomycota
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Often called “club fungi”
because they produce
small clublike
reproductive structures
called basidia during
sexual reproduction.
Includes
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Mushrooms
Puffballs
Jelly Fungi
Which one can you eat?
Which one can you eat?
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are the fruits of fungus
like apples on a tree.
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The true fungus is actually a net of
threadlike fibers, called a mycelium.
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The function of a mushroom is to
produce spores, which are the
“seeds” of the fungi.
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The mushrooms most people
recognize are the gilled fungi. These
mushrooms are umbrella shaped and
have caps with bladelike gills on the
underside and stems that sometimes
display rings.
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Zygomycota
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Most are terrestrial
organisms found
primarily in soil that is
rich in organic matter
Includes the Common
Molds
Which One Can You Eat?
Molds
Microscopic fungi that live on plant or
animal matter.
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Made of many cells and can sometimes
be seen with the naked eye. Under a
microscope, look like skinny mushrooms.
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Consist of:
-root threads that invade the food it
lives on
-a stalk rising above the food
-spores that form at the ends of the
stalks
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Some cause allergic reactions and
respiratory problems and/or can produce
mycotoxins, poisonous substances that
can make people sick.
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Ascomycota
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Sac Fungi- distinguished
by the presence of
saclike compartments
where sexually produced
spores form.
Includes
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Yeasts – Unicellular fungi
Morels, Cup Fungi, and
more.
Which one can you eat?
Which one can you eat?
Yeast
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Unicellular fungi
Used for food preparation
Primary source of alcoholic
fermentation in food
sources (anaerobic
respiration)
Produce CO2 and cause
fermentation
Most common species
used is Saccharomyces
cerevisiae
Functions of Yeast
It causes bread to rise
and get fluffy
It causes the
carbonation in beer &
sodas and forms alcohol
Fungal Symbiotic Relationships
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Lichens – Fungus and
a photosynthetic
organism (either a
green algae or
cyanobacteria)
Mycorrhizae – Fungus
and plant roots (help
plant get nutrients by
breaking down soil
around root)
Fungal Parasites
Decompose or grow on living things
Athlete’s foot and Ringworm
Caused by Dermatophytes
Fungi Metabolism
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Decomposers: transform wastes and dead
organisms into usable resources for
themselves and other organisms; external
digestion
Most fungi would fall under this category.
Life Cycle of Fungi