Question

1. Both fungi and animals are heterotrophs although they are markedly different in how they acquire nutrients. Explain.

2. Give the name of the sexual spore produced within or on each of the following structures, and cite the group of fungi.

                                             Type of Spore                                      Group Name

    a. Sporangium          

    b. Ascus                                                                               

    c. Basidium     

   

3. Ascomycota produce what type of spore during asexual reproduction?

4. What kind of reproduction is used by the zygomycota?

5. A student is observing fruiting bodies. If the spores are projecting from a club-shaped structure, the fungus is a _________.    If the spores are produced within a saclike structures, the fungus is a ________.

6. Explain the composition of lichens and why this composition is usually considered a mutualistic relationship.

Answer 1

Both fungi and animals are heterotrophs although they are markedly different in how they acquire nutrients. Explain.

Answer- Fungi are heterotrophs that is they are not able to make their own food and depends upon the environment around them for acquiring nutrients. They are unable to ingest food therefore they grown on and within their substrate and feed by absorbing nutrients from them. Fungi consists a network of numerous hyphae passing through their substrate such as soil, cheese, wood, plants etc. The hyphae secrete digestive enzymes which is responsible for break downing the substrate and making it easier for the fungus to absorb the nutrients which the substrate contains. The hyphae secrete digestive enzyme in the environment which catabolize the substrate and the fungi absorb all the nutrients through diffusion from the environment.

Animals are heterotrophs but they can ingest food and have complex digestive system which is responsible for absorption of nutrients from food inside the body and have different enzymes for metabolism of food, large macromolecules. These enzyme breakdowns the food into small molecules which are then absorbed by the body.

Give the name of the sexual spore produced within or on each of the following structures, and cite the group of fungi.

                                             Type of Spore                                                 Group Name

    a. Sporangium          sporangiospores consist spores belong to Zygomycota

    b. Ascus                            Ascospores                                               belong to Ascomycota                                          

    c. Basidium                      consists basidiocarp belong to Basidiomycota             

Ascomycota produce what type of spore during asexual reproduction?

Answer- Ascomycota produce conidiophores during asexual reproduction.

Reason- The Ascomycota are diverse group of fungi. They include organisms from unicellular yeasts to complex cup fungi. They consist ascus which forms the reproductive structure of Ascomycota. The spores of Ascomycota grow into haploid mycelia. The mycelia produce two types of reproductive structure; one for asexual reproduction- the Conidiophores and another for sexual reproduction called gametangia.

What kind of reproduction is used by the Zygomycota?

Answer- Zygomycota is a small group of kingdom fungi. They commonly involve bread mold, Rhizopus stolonifera etc. Generally, the fungi reproduce asexually by producing sporangiospores. The sporangia are packed with black spores. When these spores fall on a substrate, they grow and germinate to produce a new mycelium.

Sexual reproduction in Zygomycota occurs in unfavourable condition. Two opposing mating strains lie in close proximity for their gametangia to fuse and undergo karyogamy. The diploid zygospores have thick coats protecting them from unfavourable conditions. When environmental conditions become favourable the zygospore germinates, undergoes meiosis and produces haploid spores which grows into a new organism. This is called conjugation and hence Zygomycota are called “conjugated fungi”.

A student is observing fruiting bodies. If the spores are projecting from a club-shaped structure, the fungus is a club shaped fungus / Basidiomycetes

Reason- Basidiomycetes are generally called club fungi because the basidia having sexual spores have structure similarity with small club, therefore is called club fungi

Example- Mushrooms, jelly fungi

If the spores are produced within a saclike structure, the fungus is a Cup fungus

Reason- Cup fungus grow in the shape of a cup with spores forming on the inner surface of the fruit body.

Example -Peziza

Explain the composition of lichens and why this composition is usually considered a mutualistic relationship.

Answer- lichens are symbiotic association between a fungi and algae/cyanobacteria. The fungal partner is called mycobiont and algal partner is called phycobiont. The algae are responsible for providing food (Carbohydrates) to fungi through photosynthesis. While in return the fungi provide protection to the algae from environment through their hyphae filaments. The fungi secrete essential secondary metabolites that are responsible for providing protection to both algae and fungi. Hence the relationship between algae and fungi in lichens is considered mutualistic.