What are Fungi
Fungi are heterotrophic organisms exhibiting a diverse morphology and habitat. A most common example of fungi is the Mould growing on left-over food.
Fungi spores are present in the air, soil, food, and water on the surface of plants and animals. Yeasts are used for the fermentation of bread and beer. To get Kingdom Fungi Assignment Help contact us now.
What is the morphology of Fungi?
Organisms belonging to Kingdom Fungi are usually unicellular except for multicellular yeast. The morphology of fungi is long and filamentous and consists of slender thread-like structures called hyphae. The network of hyphae is observed as a mesh form known as mycelium.
The cell walls of hyphae are made up of chitin and polysaccharides. Some hyphae are continuous tubes consisting of multinucleate cytoplasm. These are known as coenocytic hyphae. Some fungi have septate or cross walls in their hyphae.
What is the mode of nutrition in Fungi?
Fungi are usually saprophytes living on dead and decaying organic matter. Some fungi are parasites living on plants and animals for nutrition. Fungi also live in a symbiotic relationship with plants and animals.
Explain the reproduction in Fungi
Fungi reproduce by vegetative means - fragmentation, fission, and budding, and asexual means by producing spores. Sexual reproduction is by spores called oospores, ascospores, and basidiospores, while asexual reproduction is through spores called conidia or zoospores.
Sexual reproduction has initiated the fusion of two compatible haploid hyphae or haploid spores. However, in some fungi like ascomycetes and basidiomycetes, a dikaryotic stage is seen where a single cell consists of two nuclei. This stage is known as Dikaryophase, and the cell is called a dikaryon.
The parent nuclei fuse by the fusion of Protoplasms between two motile or non-motile gametes resulting in plasmogamy. Followed by this, nucleus fusion takes place. This phenomenon is known as karyogamy. Karyogamy results in meiosis in zygotes producing haploid spores.
Criteria for the division of the kingdom fungi: Based on the morphology of mycelium, mode of spore formation, and fruiting bodies, the kingdom fungi are divided into various classes.
Class Phycomycetes:
1. Aquatic habitat and feed on decaying wood in moist or live as parasites on plants
2. Mycelium is aseptate and coenocytic
3. Asexual reproduction takes place by zoospores (motile) or Planospores (non-motile)
4. Spores are endogenously produced in the sporangium of fungi.
5. Examples of organisms belonging to this class are Mucor, Rhizopus, and Albugo
