FUNGI AND THE FUNGUS-LIKE PROTISTS

Taxonomy

Which of these are fungus-like protists and which are fungi? Can you identify the group to which they belong (phylum name/common name)?

www.picturesandwords.co.uk, www.mycology.adelaide.edu.au, sciencemanblog.blogspot.com, morgellonsresearchgroup.com, www.rfpp.ethz.ch, www.cloudforest.com, www.samcooks.com

Mode of Nutrition

(birds nest fungus)

Nidulariales

(tapioca slime)

Brefeldia

What do these pictures show you about how these organisms obtain nutrients? Why is their mode of nutrition ecologically significant?

www.micologia.net, en.wikipedia.org

Cytological Structure

Centriole

Unicellular/multicellular?

www.crabyon.it, idv.sinica.edu.tw

They move!!!
Picture shows motility of Fuligo septica; the white substance indicates former position of plasmodium

They dont move.

Fungi are nonmotile; instead, mycelia branch out through their food source at a fast rate (~1km/day).

fairyroom.com

Life Cycles

museumofdust.blogspot.com

Why are myxomycetes useful in studies of cytoplasmic streaming?

Life Cycles

lichencolony.wordpress.com

Why are acrasiomycetes useful in studies of developmental biology?

Life Cycles
jordanbuckner.blogspot.com

MORE ABOUT SLIME MOLDS

Examples of myxomycetes

Physarum

Comatricha typhoides; spores w/in are evident

Arcyris denudata (carnival candy slime)

Stemonitis splendens (chocolate tube slime)

Lycogala epinendrum (wolfs milk)

jordanbuckner.blogspot.com, www.sanamyan.com, www.environment.gov.au

Examples of myxomycetes
Different stages of the life cycle of Tubifera ferruginosa (red raspberry slime):

Close-up, showing tightlypacked sporangia

(Left) Red fruiting body maturing into brown stage; (right) fruiting body already in brown stage, w/ bits of red

Mature fruiting body (like mass of brown cigars)

Different stages of the life cycle of Fuligo septica (dog vomit slime):

Early stages feeding on Plasmodium with color wood chips of peanut butter

Spore-bearing mass not composed of individual sporangia; red, blood-like spots are liquefied breakdown of tissue

www.messiah.edu, waynesword.palomar.edu

Mature fruiting body with crusty powdery surface resembling cement; just below surface are masses of spores resembling fine brown dust

Dictyostelium discoideum (an acrasiomycete)

shethought.com

MORE ABOUT FUNGI

Structure of Fungi

science.kennesaw.edu, Biology by Miller and Levine

Life cycle of a mushroom

jordanbuckner.blogspot.com

Germination spores hyphae mycelia Fusion of hyphae Compatible mating types Start of N+N phase Only hyphae fuse, NOT nuclei!
Growth of N+N

mycelium

3 distinct phases

Life cycle of a mushroom

jordanbuckner.blogspot.com

Reproductive

success of fungi:
N+N fruiting

bodies: genetically different mycelia 1 round of 3phase life cycle: # of organisms mycelia often last for years

3 distinct phases

The five phyla of fungi

Phylum (common name) Examples Characteristics Reproduction Asexual Sexual

Oomycota

Zygomycota

Ascomycota

Basidiomycota

Deuteromycota

These are the terms that you arranged in class to fill up the table in the previous slide: 1. Amanita, Auricularia polytricha, Ganoderma, Nidulariales, puffballs, rust fungi, stinkhorns 2. Asci that produce ascospores 3. Aspergillus niger, Penicillium, Trichophyton; these are all now Ascomycota 4. Basidia that produce basidiospores 5. club fungi 6. common molds 7. Conidia on conidiophores 8. Conidia on conidiophores 9. Fertilization occurs within oogonium, forming diploid spores 10. Flagellated spores form zoosporangia 11. Grow on meat/cheese/bread; coenocytic hyphae may be rhizoids or stolons 12. Hyphae of two mating types fuse to produce a zygospore 13. imperfect fungi 14. Largest fungal phylum 15. Majority resemble ascomycetes, some resemble basidiomycetes, a few resemble zygomycetes 16. Morchella, Peziza, Saccharomyces, truffles 17. None 18. None, or conidia on conidiophores 19. Phytophthora infestans, Saprolegnia 20. Pilobolus, Rhizopus stolonifer 21. sac fungi 22. Spores in sporangiophores 23. Thrive on dead/decaying organic matter in water; plant parasites on land 24. Very diverse group 25. water molds

Whats so fun about fungi?

Puccinia triticina: plant pathogen
www.popsci.com

Ustilago maydis: plant pathogen & Mexican delicacy!

www.allposters.com

Ringworm caused by Trichophyton

www.webmd.com

Oral thrush caused by Candida albicans

en.wikipedia.org

Whats so fun about fungi?

Pleurotus ostreatus: carnivorous fungus
kinoko-ya.sakura.ne.jp

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis: zombie-ant fungus

www.nature.com

Lichens
www.botany.hawaii.edu

Mycorrhizae
www.mycorrhizae.com