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KINGDOM FUNGI (Chapter 28) 1. Fungi species come in a variety of shapes, sizes, & colors. They are all eukaryotic heterotrophs & most are multicellular. Fungi are found everywhere air, water, & soil, damp surfaces, dead organic matter, animal & plant parasites. (mushrooms, puffballs, rusts, mold, ringworm, mildew, athlete’s foot, & yeast) 2. Fungi have cell walls made of the organic compound chitin. Most species are made up of thread-like filaments called hyphae that anchor the fungus to its food source, absorb nutrients, & form reproductive spores. 3. Once fungi are anchored to a food source, they release enzymes to predigest it before absorbing the nutrients - it cannot digest food inside its body. 4. Some fungi species are saprophytes. They decompose huge amounts of organic debris in the ecosystems. 5. Parasitic species of fungi harm living plants & animals. (athletes’ foot, ringworm, crop blight & rust) 6. Beneficial fungi include the antibiotic penicillin & yeast to produce such foods as bread, wine, cheese, yogurt, & soy sauce. 7. Depending on species, fungi may reproduce with: a) asexual spores that grow when conditions are favorable (penicillin) b) fragmentation when pieces of dried hyphae are broken off & grow (athlete’s foot) c) budding when a new individual pinches off from the parent (yeast) d) sexual spores that produce 2 different mating types that encounter one another & fuse 8. Lichens are a combination of fungus & green algae or cyanobacteria. In this symbiotic relationship, both organisms benefit. Algae or cyanobacteria produce food while the fungi attaches to a surface & absorbs water. Lichens are 1 of the first organisms to establish themselves on rocks & begin forming soil for plant growth. They can survive harsh deserts & bitter cold - but, they cannot tolerate pollution.