Question

21. What is the ecological significance of the glomeromycetes (Glomeromycota)?

22. What are arbuscules?

23. Mycorrhizae are symbiotic relationships between fungi and ___________________________ ______________________________________.

24. What does each partner get from their mycorrhizal association (how does each partner benefit)? Explain.

25. The ascomycetes (Ascomycota) are commonly called the sac fungi. They produce reproductive structures called ________________________ that contain sexual spores called ___________________________________. The reproductive structures and their spores are housed within the cup-like structure known as an___________________________________.

26. List some examples of pathogenic (disease-causing) ascomycetes:

27. List some examples of useful ascomycetes:

28. After going through meiosis to produce four haploid nuclei, the ascomycete nuclei divide by _______________________________ to produce eight haploid ascospores.

29. The familiar fungi known as mushrooms belong to the group of fungi known as _____________________________________ (phylum = _____________________________).

30. The structures that produce spores within mushrooms are called _____________________. The mushroom structure itself is called a ______________________________.

31. List some beneficial aspects of the basidiomycetes:

32. List some harmful basidiomycetes:

33. What are “gills” in the mushroom group?

34. What is a lichen? Explain, in some detail.

35. How does each partner benefit in a lichen? Explain.

36. What is the ecological significance of lichens?

37. There are some plants that require mycorrhizal associations. List some types of plants or plant environments that require mycorrhizal associations for the healthy growth of the plant. Know some common examples of fungi and which group they belong to. For example, mushrooms; yeast (including those in bread/beer and in yeast infections); bread mold; Penecilium; puffballs, chytrids; truffles; ring worm/athlete’s foot; Aspergillus.

38. How are blue stain fungus, pine trees, and bark beetles connected? Explain.

39. How are fungi, bats, and white nose syndrome connected? Explain.

40. What are entomopathic fungi? Explain.

Answer 1

21) The ecological significance of glomeromycetes is the biotrophic association which is a mutually-beneficial association developed through the interaction of hyphae with the root cells. In this association, the plants supply the carbon source and energy in the form of carbohydrates to the fungus while the fungus supplies essential minerals to the plant.

22) Arbuscules are branched finger-like hyphae that acts as the site of exchange for phosphorus, carbon and other nutrients formed when the fungi interact with the root cells during arbuscular mycorrhiza.

23)Mycorrhizae are symbiotic relationships between fungi and plants

24) The two partners in the mycorrhizal association are fungi and plants. The plants supply the carbon source and energy in the form of carbohydrates to the fungus while the fungus supplies essential minerals to the plant.

25)The ascomycetes (Ascomycota) are commonly called the sac fungi. They produce reproductive structures called gametangia that contain sexual spores called ascospores. The reproductive structures and their spores are housed within the cup-like structure known as a meiosporangium.

26) Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, apple scab, ergot fungi and powdery mildews.

27) Penicillium (antibiotic production), Yeast (alcohol and to make bread rise), Morels, and truffles (edible fungi).

28) After going through meiosis to produce four haploid nuclei, the ascomycete nuclei divide by mitosis to produce eight haploid ascospores.

29) The familiar fungi known as mushrooms belong to the group of fungi known as Agaricales and phylum Basidiomycota

30) The structures that produce spores within mushrooms are called basidia. The mushroom structure itself is called mycelium.

31) Basidiomycetes mutual beneficial association with plants where the fungi obtains sugars and other organic substances from the roots of the plants while plants get nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients from the fungi. Mushrooms are used for food.

32) Rusts (Uridinales) and smuts (Ustilaginales) attack wheat and other crops destroying them. Basidiomycota attack wood in buildings and other structures thus causing harm to humans. Not all mushrooms are eatable. Some are poisonous as produce deadly toxins.

33) Mushroom gills also called lamellae are thin papery structures hanging vertically under the cap whose function is to produce spores.

34) A lichen is a composite organism and not a single organism that is formed by the symbiotic association between a fungi and cyanobacteria (algae). Cyanobacteria contain chlorophyll and therefore referred to as photobiont whereas fungal partner is called mycobiont which comprises of hyphae. The photobiont partner produces carbohydrates through the process of photosynthesis which is utilized by the mycobiont and in turn, the fungus provides protection to the algae from the environment. Lichens can grow on soil, rocks, barks of the tree to manmade concrete, glass etc that is they can be found in almost all parts of the terresterial world. The three main types of Lichens are Foliose, Fruticose and Crustose.

35) The photobiont partner produces carbohydrates through the process of photosynthesis which is utilized by the mycobiont and in turn, the fungus provides protection to the algae from the environment.

36) Ecological importance is that lichens enable conversion of carbohydrate to oxygen through photosynthesis in the atmosphere required for our survival.

37) The mycorrhizal association is found in trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials. Mushrooms belong to Basidiomycota, yeast Ascomycota, Penicilium Ascomycota, Tuffles Ascomycota, Puffballs Basidiomycota, Chytrids Chytridiomycota, Aspergillus Ascomycota, Ring worm Ascomycota.

38) Blue stain fungus leaves the color on the pine tree and it travels from one tree to another in the mouth of the bark beetles thus destroying forests of pine trees.The fungus helps the beetle safe passage across the bark of the pine trees by escaping the pine tree natural defenses.

39) In the white nose syndrome, the fungus infects the bats during hibernation when their metabolic rate and body temperature is low causing visible white fungal growth on the bats body.

40)An entomopathogenic fungi is a fungi which acts as parasites for insects by killing or disabling them.