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Fungus

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Evolution Diverged 1.5 billion years ago Gymnosperms - 300 mya First land plants 500 mya 400 mya current phyla emerged After the Permian-Triassic extinction 251.4 mya, fungus ruled the world.... Fossil record is scant because fungus are so mysterious.... And they dont biomineralize. Est. 1.5 to 5 million species only 5% have been formally classified!

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Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota

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Ecological Importance Decomposition Symbiosis with plants (mycorrhizae)

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Economic Importance FermentationFood

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Economic Importance: Antibiotics

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Characteristcs of fungi Feed by absorption Most are multicellular Thread-like filaments called hyphae Hyphae organized into mycelium Asexual and sexual reproduction Chitin cell walls

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Fusion of cytoplasm Heterokaryotic stage Fusion of nuclei Diploid stage Haploid stage

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Ballistospores 30,000 species (at least) have the capability to shoot spores Pilobolus can fire spores at 20,000 Gs. This is only slightly faster than a bullet. Nothing else in biology comes close.

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Zygomycota Zygote fungi Rhizopus stolonifer Pilobolus crystallinus

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Ascomycota: Sac fungi Peziza Morels Ergot Penicillium

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Ergot alkaloids Responsible for Salem witch trials? Ergotamine is a precursor to LSD

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Basidiomycota: Club fungi

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Pileus Stipe Gills

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basidium

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Fungi imperfecti (once called Deuteromycota) Imperfect or asexual fungi Reproduce only vegetatively (asexually) Many human diseases are imperfect fungi Athletes foot, ringworm, candida yeast infections A fungi from this group (penicillium) is used to make Roquefort and blue cheeses

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Lichen a symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae or cyanobacteria (commonly Nostoc)

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Fungi Similarities All are composed of eukaryotic cells (nucleus + organelles) All are heterotrophic (derive energy from other organisms) Absorptive nutrition (they dont chew. they absorb.) All have cell walls made of chitin.