Download How Fungi Eat - cloudfront.net

How Fungi Eat
Douglas Wilkin, Ph.D.
Jean Brainard, Ph.D.
Say Thanks to the Authors
Click http://www.ck12.org/saythanks
(No sign in required)
To access a customizable version of this book, as well as other
interactive content, visit www.ck12.org
CK-12 Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to
reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market both
in the U.S. and worldwide. Using an open-content, web-based
collaborative model termed the FlexBook®, CK-12 intends to
pioneer the generation and distribution of high-quality educational
content that will serve both as core text as well as provide an
adaptive environment for learning, powered through the FlexBook
Platform®.
Copyright © 2014 CK-12 Foundation, www.ck12.org
The names “CK-12” and “CK12” and associated logos and the
terms “FlexBook®” and “FlexBook Platform®” (collectively
“CK-12 Marks”) are trademarks and service marks of CK-12
Foundation and are protected by federal, state, and international
laws.
Any form of reproduction of this book in any format or medium,
in whole or in sections must include the referral attribution link
http://www.ck12.org/saythanks (placed in a visible location) in
addition to the following terms.
Except as otherwise noted, all CK-12 Content (including CK-12
Curriculum Material) is made available to Users in accordance
with the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0
Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc/3.0/), as amended and updated by Creative Commons from time to time (the “CC License”), which is incorporated
herein by this reference.
Complete terms can be found at http://www.ck12.org/terms.
Printed: October 30, 2014
AUTHORS
Douglas Wilkin, Ph.D.
Jean Brainard, Ph.D.
www.ck12.org
C HAPTER
Chapter 1. How Fungi Eat
1
How Fungi Eat
• Relate the structure of fungi to how they obtain nutrients.
• Describe mycorrhiza.
So what do fungi "eat"?
Just about anything. From dead plants to rotting fruit. Shown here are fungi sprouting from dead material in the
woods. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient
cycling and exchange.
Nutrition
Fungi get their nutrition by absorbing organic compounds from the environment. Fungi are heterotrophic: they rely
solely on carbon obtained from other organisms for their metabolism and nutrition. Fungi have evolved in a way
that allows many of them to use a large variety of organic substrates for growth, including simple compounds such
as nitrate, ammonia, acetate, or ethanol. Their mode of nutrition defines the role of fungi in their environment.
Fungi obtain nutrients in three different ways:
1. They decompose dead organic matter. A saprotroph is an organism that obtains its nutrients from non-living
organic matter, usually dead and decaying plant or animal matter, by absorbing soluble organic compounds.
Saprotrophic fungi play very important roles as recyclers in ecosystem energy flow and biogeochemical
cycles. Saprophytic fungi, such as shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus),
decompose dead plant and animal tissue by releasing enzymes from hyphal tips. In this way they recycle
organic materials back into the surrounding environment. Because of these abilities, fungi are the primary
decomposers in forests (see Figure 1.1).
1
www.ck12.org
2. They feed on living hosts. As parasites, fungi live in or on other organisms and get their nutrients from their
host. Parasitic fungi use enzymes to break down living tissue, which may causes illness in the host. Diseasecausing fungi are parasitic. Recall that parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of
different species in which one, the parasite, benefits from a close association with the other, the host, which is
harmed.
3. They live mutualistically with other organisms. Mutualistic fungi live harmlessly with other living organisms.
Recall that mutualism is an interaction between individuals of two different species, in which both individuals
benefit.
Both parasitism and mutualism are classified as symbiotic relationships, but they are discussed separately here
because of the different effect on the host.
FIGURE 1.1
Forest Decomposers. These forest mushrooms may look fragile, but they do a powerful job. They decompose dead wood
and other tough plant material.
Fungal hyphae are adapted to efficient absorption of nutrients from their environments, because hyphae have high
surface area-to-volume ratios. These adaptations are also complemented by the release of hydrolytic enzymes that
break down large organic molecules such as polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids into smaller molecules. These
molecules are then absorbed as nutrients into the fungal cells. One enzyme that is secreted by fungi is cellulase,
which breaks down the polysaccharide cellulose. Cellulose is a major component of plant cell walls. In some cases,
fungi have developed specialized structures for nutrient uptake from living hosts, which penetrate into the host cells
for nutrient uptake by the fungus.
Mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza (Greek for "fungus roots") is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a plant. In
a mycorrhizal association, the fungus may colonize the roots of a host plant by either growing directly into the root
cells, or by growing around the root cells. This association provides the fungus with relatively constant and direct
access to glucose, which the plant produces by photosynthesis. The mycelia of the fungi increase the surface area of
the plant’s root system. The larger surface area improves water and mineral nutrient absorption from the soil.
Summary
• Fungi are heterotrophic. They get their nutrition by absorbing organic compounds from the environment.
2
www.ck12.org
Chapter 1. How Fungi Eat
FIGURE 1.2
Fungal mycelia. Fungi absorb nutrients
from the environment through mycelia.
The branching mycelia have a high
surface-area-to-volume ratio which allows
for efficient absorption of nutrients. Some
fungi digest nutrients by releasing enzymes into the environment.
• Fungi, along with bacteria that are found in soil, are the primary decomposers of organic matter in terrestrial
ecosystems.
Explore More
Use this resource to answer the questions that follow.
• Fungus Nutrition at http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/222357/fungus/57967/Nutrition .
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Describe how fungi obtain food.
How does food enter a fungus?
Why are saprobic fungi important?
Where do fungi obtain their carbon?
Where do fungi obtain their nitrogen?
Review
1. Describe how fungi obtain nutrients.
2. Explain the role of saprotrophic fungi? Give an example of this role.
3. What is a mycorrhiza? What are the advantages of a mycorrhiza?
References
1. A Bremner. Forest decomposers perform an important job. CC BY 2.0
2. User:Lex vB/Wikipedia. . Public Domain
3