11.1.2 Kingdom Fungi
11.1.2 Kingdom Fungi
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KINGDOM FUNGI
1. Introduction
(i) Kingdom Fungi is a group of multicellular eukaryotic, heterotrophic decomposer
organisms of diverse forms, sizes, physiology and mode of reproduction. Not only
mushrooms, but also many other organisms, like yeasts and moulds related to mushrooms
are considered to be fungi.
(ii) Mushrooms are among the largest fungi. These were collected and studied much before
the microscope was invented; and it is virtually with these organisms that the study of fungi
began. That is why the study of fungi is known as mycology (Mykes = mushroom + logos =
discourse) or mycetology.
(iii) Traditionally, these were regarded as plants, but now they are believed to constitute a kingdom
(Fungi) of their own, because their mode of nutrition, basic body structure, reproduction &
entirely different from plants.
(xii) In a large number of simple fungi, the thallus is not made up of hyphae. Instead, it is a
single microscopic cell eg yeasts. At the time of reproduction entire cell may be converted
into reproductive structure. Such a body is called holocarpic eg Yeast. But if only a part of the
thallus is converted into reproductive structure, it is called eucarpic eg Rhizopus.
(xiii) The unicellular or multicellular forms have a cell wall.
(xiv) Sometimes, as in yeasts, the buds formed as a result of asexual reproduction, instead of
separating from mother cell, give rise to another bud. Thus, a branched chain of buds is
formed which may give false appearance of a mycelium. This is called pseudomycelium
(pseudo = false).
(xv) Usually, the fungal mycelium consists of a loose network of hyphae. However in certain forms
at certain stages in the life cycle, the mycelium gets organised into a loosely or compactly
woven “fungal tissue”. A general term plectenchyma (Gr. Plekerin = weave) is used for all
such aggregations. If the tissue is loosely woven and the component hyphae are easily
distinguishable form one another, the tissue is termed prosenchyma. On the other hand, if the
hyphae are compactly packed, have lost their individuality, are indistinguishable; and in a
cross-section appear like the parenchyma of higher plants, the tissue is called a
pseudoparenchyma.
(xvi) In general, the fungal cells or hyphae have the same structure as the cells of other eukaryotes.
Plastids are absent.
(xvii) Fungi are heterotrophic, i.e., these require an organic source of carbon, In addition, they also
require some source of nitrogen like amino acids; inorganic ions such as K + and Mg+; trace
elements like Fe, Zn, and Cu as well as growth factors like vitamins.
(xviii) When these grow on dead substrates, these are called saprophytes. When these grow on
living organisms and derive their nutrition from them, these are called parasites. Facultative
parasites are those saprophytes which can derive their nutrition parasitically, as well.
(xix) Fungal hypha shows apical growth by chitosomes ; Lateral wall of fungal hypha is
synthesised by Lommosomes.
3. Reproduction in Fungi
4. Fungi Classification
A number of criteria are used for classifying fungi. The important ones are
(i) Morphology or form structure and appearance of fungus. Morphology of assimilative
(vegetative) mycelium is useful in only a few cases. Morphology of reproductive
structures exhibits more variations and is hence important in fungus classification.
(ii) Types of spores and their dispersal.
(iii) Life cycle.
(iv) Physiology.
(v) Biochemisry.
Ascomycetes
Mycelium Septate (Sac Fungi)
Eumocota
Basidiomycetes
(Club Fungi)
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5.1 Oomycota
This group includes fungi with aseptate and coencoytic mycelium. These are lower fungi. This group
is further divided into classes phycomycetes and zygomycetes.
I Phycomycetes = Oomycetes (Algal fungi or Egg fungi).
(i) They bear a striking resemblance to some of green algae (Vaucheria) in morphology of thallus
especially coenocytic condition.
(ii) The thallus ranges from unicellular to a profusely branched filamentous mycelium which is
coenocytic.
(iii) Asexual reproduction takes place by zoospores or conidiosporangia.
(iv) Sexual reproduction occur mainly by gametangial contact (isogamous or heterogamous) or
by planogametic copulation. .
(v) Karyogamy immediately follows plasmogamy so there is no dikaryohase in life cycle.
(vi) Typical sexual spore is Oospore which helps in perenation, dispersal & reproduction.
(vii) Common examples are Albugo, Phytophthora and Downy mildews.
(viii) Saprolegnia: show diplanetism i.e., the production of two different types of zoospores
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(i) These are saprophytic or parasitic fungi and can be grown on culture medium.
(ii) During life history a diploid resting spore called zygospore is produced by sexual
reproduction conjugation, hence the name of the group is zygomycetes.
(iii) Hyphae is coenocytic.
(iv) Hyphae are aseptate and haploid.
(v) Hyphae produces aerial branches called sporangiophores bearing sporangia at the tip of
hyphae which on transfer to aquatic medium produces zoospores motile spores.
(vi) Asexual reproduction commonly takes place by sporangiospores.
(vii) Life cycle is of Haplontic type.
(viii) Vegetative reproduction by fragmentation.
(ix) Asexual reproduction. Under favourable condition by means of sporangia borne on
sporangiophores. Each sporangium has central dome shaped columella and many
multinucleate sporangiospores. Sporangiospore on dispersal to other substarum again
produces new mycelium.
(x) Sexual reproduction. It occurs at the end of growing season under unfavourable conditions.
Sexual reproduction is by means of conjugation of two gametangia resulting in formation of
zygospore. Zygospore (2N) is the only diploid structure. Zygospore wall breaks during
favorable condition on moist substratum so there is formation of promycelium. Then a germ
sporangium develops at tip of promycelium. This germ sporangium develops uninucleate
haploid meiospores known as germ spores after meiosis in zygospores. So life cycle is
haplontic.
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Aspergillus
(i) It is also called Smoky green mould or common laboratory weed.
(ii) Majority of species are saprophytes.
(iii) The mycelium is hyaline, pale, tubular and with septate hyphae.
(iv) It is commonly known as Guinea pig of plant kingdom. It is also called chemical
weed.
Economic importance
(i) A. oryzae is used to produce alcohol.
(ii) A. oryzae and A. niger are used in making enzymes Citric acid is obtained by
using A. niger.
(iii) A. flavus secretes liver cancer causing substance called afflatoxin in moist
stored cereals grains.
(iv) A. flavus and A. fumigatus cause aspergillosis.
(v) A. flavus act as commercial source of vitamin C.
Claviceps:
It causes disease ergot of rye. Sclerotia (compact mass of perennating hyphae) are
used to prepare LSD drug. This alkaloid is used as hallucinogen, antimigrain Its
alkaloids are used to prevent bleeding after child birth etc.
Neurospora
(i) It is called Drosophila of plant kingdom or pink mould.
(ii) “One gene one enzyme hypothesis” was developed by Beadle and Tatum in this
fungi. Nutritional mutant auxotroph discovered from it.
Morchella (Morel) is used as food. Its fruiting body look like ‘basidiocarp’ but it
is an ascocarp.
II Basidiomycetes.
(i) These are also called as club fungi (due to club shaped Basidium)
(ii) Mycelium septate mono and dikaryotic.
(iii) Dikaryotic hypha contain clamp connections.
(iv) Presence of Dolipore septum.
(v) Binucleated spore like uredospore, teleutospores etc. may be present.
(vi) Sexual reproduction somastogamy or spermatization.
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Mushroom.
Agaricus campestris is the most common form of mushroom which being edible is also
cultivated. Commonly called button mushrrom or fairy ring mushroom.
(v) Sex organs are not formed. Act of sexual reproduction is somatogamy. Most of
species are heterothallic.
(vi) Secondary mycelium of the Rhizomorph develops rings of fruiting bodies called
basidiocarps, which emerge in the form of concentric rings called fairy rings.
Agaricus also called Fairy ring mushroom.
(vii) Basidiocarp is umbrella shaped structure consists of stipe and pileus.
(viii) Stipe is massive, light pink colour and swollen at base.
(ix) Pileus is hemispherical white or yellow in colour. Inner surface bears 300 to 600 gills
(membrane like structure producing spores).
(x) Gill is having three distinct zones i.e. trama, subhymenium and hymenium.
(xi) Hymenium is fertile region which bears basidium (club shaped) and paraphyses.
(xii) Karyogamy takes place in basidium (diplophase) followed by meiosis. It produces four
haploid spores.
(xiii) Central vacuole enlarges in size pushes haploid spore into pouch like structure. This
structure now called basidiospore.
(xiv) Each basidiospore disperse from the basidium by water drop method.
(xv) Basidiospore germinate to form monokaryotic primary mycelium which is of short
duration and then there is somatogamy in two different strains and again secondary
mycelium is formed.
III Deuteromycetes
These are also called "Fungi Imperfecti" as sexual stage is absent or have yet not been reported .
The conidial stage is similar to conidial stage of ascomycetes.
(i) They are saprophytes as well as parasite.
(ii) Parasites causing severe diseases in plants and animals
(iii) Mycelium is branched and with septate hyphae. Cells are multinucleated
(iv) Chief reproduction is by asexual methods. Common type of spores are conidia
which are modified into different types of asexual fruiting bodies pycnidia,
sporodochium, acervuli and synnema.
Synnema. Conidiophores arise in very close groups in such a way that their greater
parts is fused in length bearing conidiospores laterally.
Acervuli. Condiophores remain clustered in saucer or barrel shaped forming a ring of
asexual fructification. They are found in asexual fungi.
Sporodochium. It is hemispherical fruiting with lower portion of stroma like mass of
hyphae. Conidiophores arise from floor surface.
Pycnidium. It is a flask shaped body with opening called ostiole the conidiophore arise
from inner lining of pycnidium. They are called pycnidiospores.
(v) Blastospore are produced by splitting up of hyphae into component cell.
(vi) Parasexuality ie typical sexual reproduction absent but recombination of genes takes
place and heterokaryosis are reported in certain forms of fungi imperfecti.
(vii) In many characters the members of deuteromycetes resemble with ascomycetes in
majority and with basidiomycetes in minority in those members where sexual
reproduction was discovered.
(viii) The fungi of this class cause many diseases of plants e.g,
(i) Yeast is used as food because it contains about 50% protein. Yeast protein is called
single - cell protein
(ii) Agaricus bisporous, Volvariella and Lentinus edodes, are some edible mushrooms.
II Research Tools. Neurospora and Physarum are used in several genetics and
biochemistry experiments respectively.
III Antibiotics. Penicillin (from Penicillium notatum and P. chrysogenum), griseofulvin
(from Penicillium griseofulvum) and Patulin (Penicillum patulum) are some
antibiotics obtained from fungi.
IV Acids. Several organic acids are produced from species of Rhizopus, Aspergillus,
Mucor, etc.
V Hormones. Gibberellin is obtained from Gibberella fujikuroi (or) Fusarium monififormis.
VI Vitamins. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeasts are good source of vitamin B 2
riboflavin.
VII Spoilage of food grains. Aspergillus, as spoiling agents of food grains, fruits,
Penicillium (spoil citrus fruits) etc..
VIII Poisonous fungi. Amanita palloides, A. verna and Boletus satavus are highly
poisonus fungi. Coprinus, Psilocybe - and Incocybe are also poisonous. Amanita
palloides is called "Death cup".
IX Toxins and aflatoxins. Amanita paloides, A. verna, Claviceps purpurea. Aspergillus
flavus, produce toxins and aflatoxins (Carcinogenic substances) mostly in stored
grains.
X Hallucinogenic drugs.
(i) Psilocybe mexicana, Amanita muscaria, Incocybe, Claviceps purpurea etc. are some
fungi which produce some hallucinogenic drugs, responsible for nausea,vomiting,
diarrhoea, and even death.
(ii) LSD is obtained from fungus, Claviceps purpurea. (ergots)
XI Other uses
(i) Nitrogen fixation by yeasts like Saccharomyces and Rhodotorula.
(ii) Production of latex by Mycena galopus.
(iii) Soil building by Rhizopus, Cladosporium, Aspergillus.
(iv) Along with bacteria, the fungi work as decomposers.
(v) Biological control of growth of hyperparasites like insects, nematodes, bacteria and
even other fungi.
7.1 Introduction
(i) Lichens grow together with the mosses on the
tree trunk and rocks.
(ii) Lichen is a symbiotic association of fungus and
an alga.
(iii) Fungal component (mycobiont) dominating
partner may be ascomycetes(most common) Crustose apothecia
lichen
and rarely basidiomycetes and algal
component (phycobiont) may be blue green
algae (most common) or green algae.
(iv) Algae manufacture food from CO 2 and water
while fungus absorb water and minerals.
Asexual reproduction mainly takes place by
means of Soredia (few algal cells surounded
apothecia
apothecia
B
Forms of Lichens
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Haustoria. Parasitic fungi absorb food from the body fluids of the host and may produce
specialized hyphae called haustoria that penetrate a plant's cells wall and lie against the
plasma membrane, where they can absorb food.
Plectenchyma. When the mycelium gets organised into loosely or compactly woven tissue -
like structure.
Pseudoparenchyma : Mycelium in which the hyphae are very closely packed to lose their
identity.
Vegetative reproduction Fragmentation,
Asexual reproduction (A) Zoospores (B) Conidia, (C) Oidia, (D) Chlamydospores.(E) Spores
Sexual reproduction is isogamy, anisogamy and oogamy has not been reported in
deuteromycetes.
Useful Terms
Clamp Connection. It is a small looped hypha which develops at the time of cell division
and septa formation in dikaryon of basidiomycetous fungus
Eucarpic. When only a part of thallus is used for the formation of reproductive bodies e.g.
Ascomycetes and basidiomycetes
Holocarpic. When entire mycelium converted into reproductive structure e.g. phycomycetes
Dolipore septum. It is complex pore with barrel shaped thickening in margin of the pore in the
septum of the hypha of a basidiomycetous fungus.
Rust. Fungal genera of Uredinales causing dark spots on the stem and leaves of hosts,
producing rusty mass of spores e.g., Puccinia.
Smut. Fungal genera of Ustilaginales producing large number of black dusty or
charcoal like powdery mass of spores (chlamydospores) e.g. Ustilago.
Zygospores. These are thick walled diploid spores of zygomycetous fungi formed after the
fusion of two gametangia.
Heterothallism. Phenomenon where fungus possess two physiologically different types
of mycelia considered as + and (strains) for the formation of zygosphores e.g.
Rhizopus stolonfer. It was discovered by A.I. Blakeslee.
Severe famine of West Bengal of 1942 - 43 was due to destruction of rice crop by a fungus,
Helminthosporium.
Smallest fungus - yeast. Largest fungus - giant puffball .Longest fungus - Gynoderma
Gibberella fujikuroi is the perfect form of the conidial fungus Fusarium moniliforme.
Penicillin discovered from Penicillium notatum by a W. Flemming, now a days it is mostly
obtained from P. chrysogenum.
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ASSIGNMENT
A. Fill in the blanks
In each of the following questions, a statement of assertion (A) is given and a corresponding
statement of reason (R) is given just below it. Of the statements, mark the correct answer as:
A. If both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
B. If both A and R are true R is not the correct explanation of A
C. If A is true but R is false
D. If both A and R are false
5. Commercial mushrooms are grown in soil enriched with horse manure. These mushrooms are
(a) Autotrophic, grown from spores only
(b) Parasitic, grown by 1 hyphae , mainly
(c) Saprophytic, grown from 2 hyphae called spawn
(d) Chemosynthetic grown from spore or 2 hyphae
6. Most of the fungi grow at
(a) 20-30oC and pH 6.0 (b)10-15oC and pH 6.0
o
(c) 15-20 C and pH 6.0 (d) 5-10oC and pH 5.0
7. Who found phenomenon of heterothallism in Rhizopus
(a) Alexopoulos & Mims (b) Blakslee
(c) EJ. Butter (d) K.C. Mehta
8. Sporangiospores in Rhizopus are
(a) uninucleated & haploid (b) Biflagellated and diploid
(c) Multinucleated & haploid (d) Ciliated and heterokaryotic
9. Torula stage is found produced from hyphae in medium
(a) Rich in sugar (b) Pesticides
(c) Antibiotics (d) Rich in fats
10. Early blight and late blight diseases of potato are caused respectively by
(a) Aspergillus and Penicillium (b) Phytophthora and Alternaria
(c) Graphiola and Agaricus (d) Alternaira and Phytophthora
11. Citric acid is commercially manufactured from
(a) Mucor mucido (b) Citromyces sp.
(c) Aspergillus niger (d) Saccharomyces sp.
12. The fertile layer producing spores in ascocarp is
(a) Epiderm (b) Epicarp
(c) Hymenium (d) Periderm
13. Generally in pure cultures the Rhizopus, there is no formation of zygospore because
(a) There is deficiency of oxygen
(b) There is deficiency of light
(c) Due to the absence of either (+) or (–) strains of mycelia
(d) Presence of (+) and (–) strains of mycelia
14. In Rhizopus, which of the following stage does not contain 'n' number of chromosomes
(a) Hyphae (b) Zoospores
(c) Rhizoidal hyphae (d) Zygospore
15. Which enzyme is present in yeasts
(a) Diastase & Invertase (b) Sucrase & Lactase
(c) Maltase & Sucrase (d) Zymase & Invertase
16. Which of the following is commonly used in genetical experiments
(a) Mucor (b) Rhizopus
(c) Morchella (d) Neurospora
17. Which of the following is unicellular and uninucleated
(a) Rhizopus nigricans (b) Saccharomyces cerevisiae
(c) Puccinia graminis (d) Morchella esculenta
18. In most of the lichens, the fungal partner belongs to
(a) Phycomycetes (b) Ascomycetes
(c) Basidiomycetes (d) Deuteromycetes
19. "Foolish seedling disease of rice" behind the discovery of which growth hormone
(a) Auxins (b) Ethylene
(c) Gibberellin (d) Cytokinins
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ANSWERS
KINGDOM FUNGI
A. Fill in the blanks
1. Ascomycetes 2. Conidio–spores
3. Saccharomyces 4. Fungus
5. Penicillium 6. Basidiomycetes(Polyporus)
7. Albugo candida 8. sporadic
9. Deuteromycetes 10. SO2
(a) (a) (ix) (b) (i) (c) (viii) (d) (ii) (e)(v)
(f)(iii) (g) (vi) (h) (iv) (i) (x) (j) (vii)
(b) (a)(v) (b) (iv) (c) (iii) (d) (ii) (e) (i)
1. Corticolous
2. Collatolricum falcatum
3. Blakeslee
4. Eight
5. Lichen
1 D 11 C 21 A 31 D
2 B 12 C 22 D 32 C
3 D 13 C 23 B 33 A
4 D 14 D 24 B 34 A
5 C 15 D 25 B 35 D
6 A 16 D 26 B 36 B
7 B 17 B 27 A 37 B
8 C 18 B 28 A 38 B
9 A 19 C 29 B 39 B
10 D 20 B 30 C 40 A
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1. Absorptive
2. Prosenchyma
3. Deuteromycotina
4. De Bary
5. Von Sterbeck
6. Both
7. Absorptive (Saprophytic)
8. Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; Rhizopus stolonifer
9. Salmon disease (caused by Saprolegina parasitica)
10. Sterigmata
11. Puccinia graminis
12. Dactylaria