Fungi have several key characteristics: 1) They have cell walls made of chitin and obtain nutrients as heterotrophs and decomposers. 2) Their bodies are made of long filaments called hyphae that form a mycelium. 3) They reproduce both sexually through the mating of hyphae and asexually through spores. The document then discusses the five major fungal phyla - Zygomycota, Oomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Deuteromycota. It provides more details on Zygomycota, including how bread mold is an example and goes through its life cycle and

1. Fungi

2. Fungi
Fungal Characteristics
1)Cell wall made of Chitin
2) Heterotrophs and major Decomposers
3) Body is made of Long filaments of
hyphae which form a mycelium
4)Reproduce sexually and asexually
Asexually by spores
Sexually by mating of hyphae filaments

3. Bread Mold – a
Zygomycete Fungi

4. Kingdom Fungi – you must know 5 Major Phyla
1. Phylum Zygomycota = the Bread Molds
Rhizopus – black bread mold
2. Phylum Oomycota = the Water Molds
Water mold, potato blight, mildew
3. Phylum Ascomycota = the Sac Fungi
Yeast, morels, truffles
4. Phylum Basidiomycota = the Club Fungi
Mushrooms, puffballs, bracket fungi, rusts, smuts, toadstools
5. Phylum Deuteromycota = the Fungi Imperfecti

5. Zygomycota (Rhizopus) the Common Molds
-are primarily decomposers
-asexual spores may be produced in sporangia
-sexual reproduction occurs between + and – strains
forming a 2n zygote; a zygospore develops and may lie
dormant for a long period of time;
-only the zygote is diploid; all hyphae and asexual
spores are haploid
meiosis occurs just before germination

6. Zygomycota – common molds
The fungal mass of
hyphae, known as the
MYCELIUM penetrates
the bread and produces
the fruiting bodies on top
of the stalks
Mycelia = a mass of hyphae or
filaments

8. Rhizoids = root-like hyphae
The zhizoids meet underground and mating occurs between hyphae
of different molds (SEXUAL REPRODUCTION)

9. Kingdom Fungi
Fungi are a eukaryotic, heterotrophic, usually
multicellular group having nuclei enclosed
in cells with cell walls; they are mostly
saprophytic and aerobic
They obtain their energy by decomposing dead and
dying organisms and absorbing their nutrients from those
organisms
Some fungi also cause disease (yeast infections, rusts,
and smuts), while others are useful in baking,
brewing, as foods, drugs and sources for antibiotics
Yeasts, Molds, Mushrooms

10. The Kingdom Fungi
• Fungi are the principle decomposers that keep the biosphere supplied with
nutrients essential for plant growth. Such organisms, make essential chemical
elements available in organic material to be cycled in the ecosystem
• As important decomposers of organic matter, fungi penetrate the tissues and
cells of dead plant and animal material by secreting exoenzymes that break up
polymers
• Some fungi reproduce only asexually while others do so solely sexually, fungi
are all common in that they contain spore - producing structures and release spores
during reproduction
• In addition, fungi are distinguished by a cell wall of glucans and chitin, the
combination of which is found in no other organism

11. Simplified Life Cycle Common to All Fungi
spore -producing structures release
spores during reproduction