BIOL 1503 Lecture : FungiNotes
Document Summary
Overview: mighty mushrooms: fungi, are diverse and widespread, are essential for the well-being of most terrestrial ecosystems because they break down organic material and recycle vital nutrients, multicellular (except yeasts), absorptive heterotrophs with large surface: volume. Parasitic: use living hosts: produce exoenzymes to digest material outside the body, most are terrestrial, lack flagellated cells (except chytrids, fungi exhibit diverse lifestyles. Enhances their ability to absorb nutrients from their surroundings. Parasitic hyphae: parasitic fungi have modified hyphal tips that penetrate the tissues of their host, some fungi even have hyphae adapted for preying on animals. Toxins can cause liver failure requiring a transplant. Comparison of fungi to protists: slime molds have cell walls of cellulose, slime molds are diploid (2n) for most of life cycle, slime molds have flagellated cells, slime molds use different enzymes/ metabolic pathways. Flagellated sperm: fungi are closely related to animals (sister kingdoms) Both heterotrophic cannot produce their own food.
