Introduction, classification &

general properties of fungi

F
 Importance of Fungi
• Fungi - most important groups of organisms on the planet.

• Important in an enormous variety of ways.

• Recycling
• Mycorrhizae and plant growth
• Food
• Medicines
• Biocontrol
• Crop Diseases
• Animal Disease
• Food Spoilage
 What are fungi?
• Fungi - ubiquitous and diverse group of organisms
• Main purpose - to degrade organic matter.
• All fungi lead a heterotrophic existence as
a. Saprobes
b. Symbionts
c. Commensals
d. Parasites
 Fungi - characteristics
• Habitat - Ubiquitous in terrestrial and freshwater
• Distribution – Cosmopolitan
• Ecology - Important ecological roles as saprotrophs, mutualistic
symbionts, parasites
• Nutrition - Heterotrophic
• Vegetative state – Non motile mycelium
• Cell walls contain chitin ( for rigidity & support), mannan & other
polysaccharides
• Cytoplasmic membrane contains ergosterols
 Cont.…
• Nuclear status - Eukaryotic, uni- or multinucleate, the thallus being homo- or
heterokaryotic, haploid, dikaryotic or diploid
• Reproduction –
a. Sexual (i.e. Nuclear fusion and meiosis) and/or parasexual (i.e.
Involving nuclear fusion followed by gradual de-diploidization)
b. Asexual
 Morphology
• Fungi may be unicellular or multicellular.
• Morphology of fungi are either yeasts or moulds.

• Yeasts are usually unicellular

• Molds: multicellular organisms consisting of threadlike

tubular structures called hyphae
 Hyphae
• Hyphae are either coenocytic (hollow and
multinucleate) or septate (divided by partitions or
crosswalls) .

• The hyphae form together to produce a mat-like

structure called a mycelium.
• Two form of hyphae are:
• vegetative hyphae
• reproductive hyphae.
 Fungal Hyphae
• Hyphae are
• Thread of cells
• One cell thick
• High surface area to volume ratio
• Absorb water, ions, nutrients
• Gas exchange
• Waste disposal
 Types of hyphae
• Septate hyphae (partitioned or crosswalled)

• Coeocytic hyphae (no septum; hollow and

multinucleate)

• Septate hyphae with clamp connection (hyphal

outgrowths form) - bypass around the septum
to facilitate the migration of a nucleus).

• Hyphae with arthroconidia (conidia produced

by either a blastic (budding) process or a thallic
process; hyphal segments fragment into
individual cells or arthroconidia).
 Yeast cell

• These are large (5 to 8 μ), unicellular organisms

• Rarely form filaments (some form
pseuodohyphae).
• Most reproduce by budding.

Source: http://istudy.pk/
 Reproductive Structures
• Made of hyphae
• Different shapes for different
fungal groups
 Reproductive Structures
• Make spores, either by mitosis or meiosis
• Some are called “fruiting bodies”
Heterokaryon
• Formed after plasmogamy
•n+n
• Unfused nuclei from both parents
 Dikaryon
• Special type of heterokaryon
• Long-lasting
• As cells divide, cells retain n
+n
 CLASSIFICATION OF FUNGI
Species
Genus
Family
Order
Class
Subphyla
Division /phylum

Subkingdom

Kingdom

Classical classification of fungi proceeds in this fashion

 Phyla/Divisions of Fungi

1. Chytridiomycota - Chytrids
2. Zygomycota – Common Molds
3. Ascomycota – Sac Fungi
4. Basidiomycota – Club Fungi
5. Deuteromycota – Imperfect Fungi
6. Blastocladiomycota,
7. Glomeromycota,
8. Microsporidia and
9. Neocallimastigomycota.
 Phylum Chytridiomycota

• Simple fungi
• Mostly marine
• Mostly saprophytes and parasites
• Have flagellated spores (zoospores)
• Asexual reproduction is by the zoospores from mitosis
• Sexual reprod is by fusion of isogametes
• They are coenocytic & distinction between individual cell
 2. Phylum Zygomycota
• Mostly terrestrial (soil dwelling), about 900 species .
• Sexual Reproduce sexually by forming zygosporangia
• Asexual reproduction is common (sporangia – bags of asexual spores)
• Coenocytic hyphae
• Two types of hyphae:
– Stolons – (horizontal) spread across the surface
– Rhizoids – (vertical) digs into the surface
•Grow rapidly
•Mainly decomposers, few animal pathogens, and some form mycorrhizal
associations with plants. E.g black bread mold,
 Phylum Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
• Largest phylum of Fungi (75% of known fungi, 50,000 species)
• Most are multicellular (except for yeast)
• Characterized by their production of spores in pods or sac-like
structures called asci.
• Most undergo asexual reproduction forming conidia
• Important plant parasites & saprobes
• Three main groups of ascomycota:
• Archaeasomycetes-a primitive group which seems to have diverged
early in evolution,
• Hemiascomycetes and Euascomycetes, are both more complex.
• Decomposers, pathogens, and found in most lichens
• Cup fungi, morels, truffles
 4. Phylum Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
• Club fungi have fruiting bodies which are club-shaped.
• Most are edible
• Sexual Reprod is by forming basidiospores contained in basidia but asexual
reprod – not so common (but form conidia when it occurs)
• Long-lived dikaryotic mycelia
• Rusts & smuts –plant parasites
• They include decomposer (wood), pathogens and about half form mycorrhizal
associations with plants
• They include mushrooms, polypores, puffballs, bird’s nest fungi and shelf fungi
 5. Phylum Deuteromycota
•Do not fit into the commonly established taxonomic classification
(Imperfect Fungi) or leftover fungi (About 25,000 species are lumped into this
category)
Asexual reproduction by vegetative growth and production of asexual
spores common.
•Fungi that seldom or never reproduce sexually.
• E.g Trichophyton (Athlete's foot), Penicillium (Penicillin), and Candida albicans
("Yeast" infections)
•Multicellular tissue is similar to the hyphae of sac fungi and club fungi
Erect hyphae with asexual spores similar to sac fungi and club fungi
e.g. Aspergillus

Ringworm
 CLASSIFICATION
• Depending on cell morphology fungi can be grouped into
• Yeasts
• Yeast like fungi
• Molds
• Dimorphic fungi
1. Yeasts
• Unicellular fungi which reproduce by budding
On culture they produce smooth, creamy colonies.
• E.g Cryptococcus neoformans (capsulated yeast)

2. Yeast like fungi

• Grow partly as yeasts and partly as elongated cells resembling hyphae which
are called pseudohyphae e.g. Candida albicans
3. Molds/ Filamentous fungi
Form true mycelia & reproduce by formation of different types of spores.
Produce vegetative/ aerial hyphae e.g. Rhizopus, mucor

4. Dimorphic fungi
Occur in 2 forms Molds (Filaments) – 250C (soil)
Yeasts – 370C (in host tissue)
Most fungi causing systemic infections are dimorphic:
e.g. Histoplasma capsulatum
Blastomyces dermatidis
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
 Fungi Reproduction
• 3 kinds of fungi reproduction:
• Budding

• Fragmentation

• Spore production
• Sexual leads to formation of zygospores, ascospores in Asci or
basidiospores
• Asexual reproduction is by budding or fission
• Asexual spores are formed on or in specialized structures.
• Asexual spores formed include conidia
• Reproductive structures vary in size, shape & colour but these
characteristics are constant for a particular species
 • Multicellular fungi have complex reproductive cycles.

– distinctive reproductive structures

All fungi form spores and zygotes.

• Multicellular fungi have complex reproductive cycles.
• life cycles may include either sexual or asexual reproduction or
both
• Multicellular fungi have complex reproductive cycles.

• life cycles may include either sexual or asexual reproduction or both

Fungi may be decomposers, pathogens, or mutualists.
• Fungi and bacteria are the main decomposers in any ecosystem.
– decompose dead leaves, twigs, logs, and animals
– return nutrients to the soil
– can damage fruit trees and wooden structures
 • Fungi are also pathogenic.

– human diseases include ringworm and athlete’s foot

– plant diseases include Dutch elm disease
–Haustoria – hyphae that penetrate the host so that the parasitic fungus (e.g
cordyceps, rust)can absorb nutrients
• Fungi form mutual relationships
–lichens form between fungi and algae
–mycorrhizae form between fungi and plants eg boletes and larch tree,
truffles and beech or oak
 Lichens
Bioindicators – help show when environmental conditions are
unsuitable.
Pioneer species – 1st to inhabit an environment.
Fungi (usually ascomycota) + algae (or photosynthetic bacteria)
foliose
crustose
• Fungi can act as mutualists.
•relationships form between fungi and some insects
Fungi are studied for many purposes.
– as food
– as antibiotics
– as model systems for molecular biology
– Bioremediation – help clean the environment.
 Fungi and Humans
• Molds • Yeasts
• Penicillium • Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• Penicillin • Bread, wine and beer
• Camembert and Roquefort • Candida albicans
cheeses • Infections
• Aspergillus
• Soy sauce
• Soft drinks - citric acid
 Some Pathogenic and Toxic Fungi
Zygomycetes Ascomycetes
Rhizopus - Food spoilage
Ajeliomyces capsulatus- Histoplasmosis
Aspergillus – sinus, ear, lung infection
Microsporium sp. Various ringworms.
Verticillium sp Plant wilt
Monilinia fructicola- Brown Rot of Peaches
Characteristics of Fungi
Taxonomic Hypha Type of Characteristi Origin of Examples of Pathogeni
class of Reproductio c spore fungi city
Fungi n spore

Maduromcosis
Blastospore Budding Aspergillus
Ascomycetes Septate Asexually Aspergillosis
Conidium Conidiophore Penicillium

Basidiomycete Cryptococcu
Septate Sexually Basidiospore Basidium Cryptococosis
s s

Most Mycoses
{fungi and
Deuteromycete Thallospore Thallus(hypha)
Septate Asexually Candida pathogens in
s Conidium Conidiphore
medical
imperfecti)

Sporangiospore
Aseptat Asexually Sporangiophore Mucor
Phycomycetes Zygospore or Mucormycosis
e Sexually Fussion of nuclei Rhizopus
oospore