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Fungi - General Biology

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  • What are the two main growth forms of fungi?

    Single-celled yeasts and multicellular fungi with mycelia.

  • What is a mycelium in fungi?

    A network of woven hyphae that forms the body of multicellular fungi.

  • How do fungi obtain nutrients?

    By extracellular digestion, secreting enzymes outside their bodies to break down organic matter, then absorbing the nutrients.

  • What enzymes do fungi use to break down lignin?

    Lignin peroxidase catalyzes oxidation creating free radicals that split lignin polymers.

  • Why can't fungi use lignin as their sole food source?

    Because the six-carbon rings in lignin are difficult to metabolize and accumulate in soil.

  • What enzymes do fungi use to digest cellulose?

    Cellulases secreted extracellularly convert cellulose into glucose for absorption.

  • What is the significance of fungi in the carbon cycle?

    Fungi break down dead plant material, releasing carbon atoms back into the atmosphere and soil nutrients.

  • What are the four types of sexual reproductive structures in fungi?

    Chytrids (flagellated spores), Zygosporangia, Basidia (club-shaped), and Asci (sac-like cells).

  • What is unique about chytrid fungi?

    They produce motile spores and gametes with flagella and often live in aquatic environments.

  • What is a zygosporangium?

    A thick-walled sexual spore-producing structure formed when hyphae fuse in zygomycetes.

  • What are basidia and what do they produce?

    Club-shaped cells where meiosis occurs, producing four haploid spores in basidiomycetes.

  • What are asci in fungi?

    Sac-like cells where meiosis and mitosis occur, producing eight spores in ascomycetes.

  • What are mycorrhizal fungi?

    Mutualistic fungi that form networks with plant roots to enhance nutrient and water uptake.

  • What are the two main types of mycorrhizal fungi?

    Ectomycorrhizal fungi form sheaths around roots; arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi penetrate root cells.

  • What is a lichen?

    A symbiotic association between an ascomycete fungus and a photosynthetic partner like green algae or cyanobacteria.

  • How do lichens serve as bioindicators?

    They are sensitive to air pollution and can indicate environmental quality.

  • What role do fungi play as decomposers?

    They break down tough plant materials like lignin and cellulose, recycling nutrients in ecosystems.

  • What is plasmogamy in fungal sexual reproduction?

    The fusion of cytoplasm from two parent mycelia without nuclear fusion.

  • What is karyogamy in fungi?

    The fusion of two haploid nuclei to form a diploid nucleus during sexual reproduction.

  • How do fungi reproduce asexually?

    By producing spores through mitosis, often in structures like sporangia or conidia.

  • What is the relationship between fungi and animals?

    Fungi are more closely related to animals than to land plants based on molecular data.