In: Biology
Describe the sexual reproduction cycle in fungi (a general process, not for a specific type of fungi). Is the fungal sexual life cycle a type of alternation of generations seen in plants and some algae? Explain.
Fungi can reproduce by asexual and sexual both means. Fungi produce spore which are light in weight, which can move longer distance by air or animals etc.
Asexual reproduction
Fungi reproduce by fragmentation, budding and by producing spores. In fragmentation the fragments of hyphae can grow into new fungal colonies. In yeast, they produce buds, which separate out and can grow into separate colonies.
Most common mode of asexual reproduction is spore formation, these spores are produced by one parent and they are genetically similar to the parent. They are formed in sporangium (reproductive sac) and get released into surrounding or in distant location by air and animals. When they get favorable conditions, they get germinated into new fungal colony. Other type of spores are conidiospore produced in conidia. These are unicellular or may be multi-cellular spores.
Sexual reproduction:
In sexual reproduction, two mating type are produced during adverse environmental conditions. These mating types may be present on same hyphae or on separate hyphae / mycelium. They produce gamete like cells which have male and female gamete like properties. These gametes fuse to form zygote by fusion of both nucleus.
Finally Meiosis takes place in gametangia and produce haploid spores. These haploid spores are released in to the environment.
The fungal sexual life cycle is similar to the higher organisms like plants and animals to some extant in this way. the life cycle of fungi contains alteration of generation but the level of alteration is very alimentary because fungi is normally a haploid organism and in adverse conditions it foes zygote which divide to produce haploid spore cells. in this way the diploid stage it very short in fungi.
but in ase of higher organisms during alteration of generations they spent most of their life in diploid stage and a short period is covered in haploid stage during gamete formation before zygote formation.