Lab #3: The Kingdom Fungi

Plants & Civilization 

Lab #3: 

The Kingdom Fungi

Fungi: An Overview 

Diverse group of organisms 

Unicellular (yeasts) 

Multicellular 

Heterotrophic 

Play major ecological & economic roles, 

but may parasitize humans & plants.

Fungi – A Benefit to Humans 

A single-celled single celled fungus, YEAST, YEAST, 

is used in the 

production of: 

Wine, beer, bread 

Another fungus, Penicillium, Penicillium, 

used in the 

production of: 

Antibiotics 

Antibiotics 

Mushrooms – edible food items 

In ecosytems, ecosytems, 

fungi & bacteria play role in the 

decomposition of organic matter.

Fungi – A Menace to Humans 

Animals, Humans infected by fungi 

Athlete’s Athlete s foot, Ringworm, Respiratory diseases, etc. 

Plant diseases caused by fungi: 

Potato blight, Wheat rust, Ergot

1. Zygomycota 

Divisions of FUNGI 

Zygomycota 

Ascomycota 

Basidiomycota 

Deuteromycota 

*Lichens (association of fungi & algae) 

2. Ascomycota 

3. Basidiomycota 

4. Deuteromycota 

Divisions characterized by life cycles & 

reproductive structures: Mode(s) of 

reproduction-either asexually by mitosis 

or sexually by meiosis.

Examples: 

Division Zygomycota: 

Zygomycota: 

“The The Zygote Fungi” Fungi 

Rhizopus stolonifer stolonifer (common bread mold) 

Pilobolus crystallinus crystallinus (shotgun fungus) 

Rhizopus 

Pilobolus 

http://www.fooddata.nl/Fooddata_CMS/Database/upload/Rhizopus%20stolonifer.jpg 

http://utenti.lycos.it/marinetto/photoalbum.html

Zygomycota: 

Zygomycota: 

Rhizopus stolonifer 

General “fungal fungal” characteristics including: 

General 

Cells made up of chitin & cellulose 

Structure of thread-like thread like filaments called hyphae,, hyphae which 

are organized into the body of the fungus, mycelium. 

mycelium. 

Sporangia Sporangia contain spores that may germinate into a 

new fungal mycelium (via 

). 

new fungal mycelium (via asexual asexual reproduction). 

reproduction 

Mycelia secrete enzymes into the substrate, 

which digests & absorbs food.

Zygomycota: 

Zygomycota: 

Rhizopus stolonifer 

Reproduction: 

Rhizopus Rhizopus may reproduce asexually or sexually. 

Recall… Recall 

•Asexual Asexual reproduction requires one organism 

that produces haploid (nn) ( ) spores by mitosis. 

•Sexual Sexual reproduction requires two organisms 

that fuse to restore diploid ( (2n 2n) ) state.

Rhizopus stolonifer: stolonifer: 

Life Life Cycle Cycle 

Asexual 

reproduction 

by haploid (n) 

spores 

produced in 

sporangia. 

http://io.uwinnipeg.ca/~simmons/1116/images/rhizolc.gif 

Sexual 

reproduction: 

(+) & (-) types 

hyphae nucleic 

fuse to form 

diploid (2n) 

zygospore.

Zygomycota: 

Zygomycota: 

Pilobolus crystallinus 

“Coprophilous 

Coprophilous” – grows on dung 

It is positively phototrophic 

Reproduces asexually asexually 

Pilobolus Pilobolus sporangia form in early evening. After 

midnight, swelling begins creating turgor pressure. 

Pressure causes the an explosion, propelling sporangia 

up to 2 meters. 

Sticky sporangia adhere to grasses etc. & are eaten by 

animals. Intact sporangia pass through digestive tract. 

Here, spores germinate in the fresh dung!

Yeasts 

http://ebiomedia.com/prod/2004prodimages/yeasts.jpg&imgrefurl 

Division Ascomycota: 

Ascomycota: 

Claviceps Claviceps purpurea purpurea 

(rye ergot) 

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/np/galerie/data/media/52/07050077.JPG 

“The The Sac Fungi” Fungi 

http://botany.upol.cz/atlasy/system/images/ascomycetes/pezizales/sarcoscypha.jpg 

Peziza apothecia 

Morels 

http://pkaminski.homestead.com/files/Morels_bunch_2_L.jpg

Ascomycota…another Ascomycota another example 

Dutch Elm Disease is caused by 

an Ascomycote fungus. 

http://webs.wichita.edu/mschneegurt/biol103/lecture21/dutch_elm.gif 

http://www.forestpathology.org/graphics/elmcycle.gif

Called 

Ascomycota: 

Ascomycota: 

General Characteristics 

Called “sac sac fungi” fungi or “ascospore ascospore-producing producing 

Fungi”… Fungi”…many 

many cup-shaped. 

cup shaped. 

Diverse group – some unicellular (yeasts), some 

edible (morels, truffles), others parasitic (dutch ( dutch 

elm disease) 

May reproduce asexually or sexually

Ascomycota: 

Ascomycota: 

Asexual Reproduction 

Fungi in this Division primarily reproduce 

asexually by forming chains of spores called 

conidia (conid = dust). 

Spores (conidia) may be produced on the 

surface of special reproductive hyphae. 

hyphae

Ascomycota: 

Ascomycota: 

Asexual Reproduction & Yeasts 

Yeasts are single-celled single celled fungi. 

Usually reproduce asexually, asexually, 

by budding. budding 

Budding = small cells form by pinching off of a 

parent yeast cell. 

Budding 

Sometimes yeasts reproduce sexually. 

In this case, they produce asci, asci, 

each which 

produces 4 or 8 spores. 

(just (just like like Peziza Peziza –– see see next next slide) 

slide)

Ascomycota: 

Ascomycota: 

Sexual Reproduction 

By meiosis, 4 or 8 haploid (nn) ( ) ascospores are 

produced within an ascus. ascus. 

In Peziza, Peziza, 

these asci are found in an open cup- 

shaped ascocarp or apothecium. 

apothecium 

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/graphics/bio106/peziza.jpg 

•In sexual reproduction, a 

cup-like “fruiting” structure 

is formed called an 

ascocarp (carpo = fruit). 

•This contains a number of 

asci (ascus), each of which 

contains eight 

ascospores. 

•The ascospores are 

always lined up in the 

order in which they did 

meiosis.

Division Basidiomycota: 

Basidiomycota: 

http://www.fungoceva.it/images/funghicebano/Coprinus_cinereusGR.jpg 

Coprinus cinereus 

“The The Club Fungi” Fungi 

http://www.localarcade.com/arcade_art/data/thumbnails/2/toad.gif 

Shelf fungus 

Button Mushrooms (edible) 

http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/cwhitemushrooms.jpg 

http://www.richard-seaman.com/Fungus/USA/DevilsLake2003/IMG_8782.JPG

Called 

Division Basidiomycota- 

Basidiomycota 

Overview: 

Called “club club fungi” fungi or “basidiospore 

basidiospore- 

producing fungi” fungi 

Edible & non-edible non edible mushrooms 

(toadstools) included: 

Puffballs 

Puffballs 

Shelf fungi 

Some cause plant diseases like wheat rust & corn smut


Basidiomycota 

What is a “Mushroom 

Mushroom”? 

A mushroom is a reproductive reproductive structure structure ! 

Also called a basidiocarp. 

basidiocarp 

It grows upward from underground mycelial 

mass & produces spores by meiosis (sexual 

reproduction) or conidia by mitosis (asexual 

reproduction).


Basidiomycota 

Photo source: http://www.uq.edu.au/.../ Mushroom.GIF 

Parts of a Mushroom 

Photo source: http://www.backyardnature.net/f/fungbasd.gif


Basidiomycota 

Life Cycle of a Mushroom 

http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/jpitocch/genbios/31-12-BasidiomyLifeCyc-L.jpg

Division Deuteromycota: 

Deuteromycota: 

Examples: 

Candida “yeast infections” 

“Fungi Fungi Imperfecti” 

Imperfecti 

http://uhavax.hartford.edu/bugl/images/candida.jpg 

http://www.skidmore.edu/academics/biology/plant_bio/fungi/Penicillium%20-%20Ascomycete.jpg 

Penicillium



Imperfect Fungi Characteristics 

These fungi are categorized based on their lack 

of sexual reproductive stages. 

Called 

Only known to reproduce vegetatively vegetatively or asexually. 

asexually. 

Called “asexual asexual” following botanical term 

“imperfect imperfect” indicating a flower that lacks one 

reproductive part.

Imperfect Fungi Reproduction 

Asexual- 

http://www.uq.edu.au/_School_Science_Lessons/8.0Penicillium.GIF



Familiar Imperfect Fungi 

Cause several human diseases: 

Althetes Althetes’s foot 

Ringworm 

Candida Candida “yeast yeast” infections



Familiar Imperfect Fungi 

Beneficial to humans 

Penicillium 

Penicillium 

One species used in the production of antibiotics 

Another species used to make Roquefort & blue cheese 

http://www.monanneeaucollege.com/6.svt.chap11_fichiers/penicillium-roqueforti.1.jpg 

http://schimmel-schimmelpilze.de/download-1/gorgonzola-kaese.jpg

Lichens 

Symbiotic association between fungi & 

algae/cyanobacteria 

algae/ cyanobacteria 

Usually a ‘sac sac-fungus fungus’ or ‘club club fungus’ fungus involved 

Fungi rely on photosynthetic algae for nutrients, 

algae relies on fungi for moist environment

Lichens 

Categorized by various body, or thallus, thallus, 

shapes 

& colors: 

Leafy thallus = foliose 

Crust-like Crust like thallus = crustose 

Branching thallus = fruticose 

Cup or club-shaped club shaped reproductive structures in 

colors from bright red/pink or green.

Crustose (crust-like) 

http://www.ru.ac.th/lichen/LichenPix/crustose-lau.jpg 

Lichen Types 

Foliose (leafy) 

Fruticose (cylindrical) 

http://www.botany.wisc.edu/wislichens/EVEMES_MTT1.jpg 

http://homepage.eircom.net/~hedgerow6/foliose-lichen-dots.JPG

Addendum to Fungi Lab 

(Practical Applications) 

Humans have long used fungi to raise 

bread & ferment alcoholic beverages. 

Economically important fungi = 

Saccharomyces sp. sp. 

Y Y E E A A S S T T ! 

!

Taking Advantage of Yeast 

Recall…yeasts Recall yeasts reproduce asexually, by budding. 

Yeasts will reproduce if fed, so… so 

Let’s Let s feed them sugar! 

To make bread: add flour, water, SUGAR & YEAST. 

To make wine: add grape juice, SUGAR & YEAST.

The Yeasts’ Yeasts Reaction 

Yeasts consume SUGAR & produce 

ETHANOL (alcohol) & CO 

CO 2 

C6H12O 12 6 + H2O CH 3COCO COCO2 (pyruvate pyruvate) ) + NADH 

CH 3CH CH2OH OH (ethanol) + NAD + + CO2 

CO

Yeast By-Products 

By Products 

Ethanol produced by yeast - gives wine & beer 

its alcohol content. content 

CO 2 

You You will will learn learn more more about about this this process process in in 

Lab Lab #6: #6: Trip Trip to to the the VICTORY VICTORY Brewery Brewery 

2 produced by yeast – causes carbonation in 

beer & causes bread to rise. rise 

Because CO 2 gas is less dense, it fills in spaces of dough…think 

dough think 

about the “holes holes” or “pockets pockets” in a piece of bread.

Overview of 

Cellular 

Respiration: 

•Glucose is 

substrate consumed 

producing pyruvic 

acid. 

•Pyruvate is 

reduced to ethanol 

(or lactic acid) 

during 

FERMENTATION. 

•CO 2 is a byproduct. 

Alcoholic Fermentation 

Fermentation 

Glycolysis 

http://www.biologycorner.com/resources/fermentation.jpg 

Pyruvate: 

product of 

glycolysis 

MgSO 4 : 

Mg 2+ is a 

cofactor 

that 

activates 

enzymes of 

glycolysis. 

NaF: 

inhibitor of 

glycolysis 

enzymes.

TODAY’S TODAY S PLAN 

Summary: 

Examine 4 Divisions of Fungi, Lichens too 

Follow lab manual, make sketches (with labels), and answer 

1. Examine 4 Divisions of Fungi, Lichens too 

related questions. 

2. Addendum to Fungi Lab 

Following procedure: make bread (demo), raise the balloon 

(demo), & make wine (do (do this this FIRST, FIRST, as as a a group group of of 2) 2) 

3. Cellular Respiration/Alcoholic 

Fermentation 

These will take 40 minutes to incubate. Each group will do a 

different ‘treatment treatment’. . What What is is the the effect effect of of each each chemical chemical 

variable variable on on alcoholic alcoholic fermentation? 

fermentation?

CAUTIONS! 

Fermentation tubes are very fragile. fragile. 

Handle with care 

to avoid breakage. 

Chemicals used in the fermentation tube experiment are 

POISONOUS! POISONOUS! Handle with extreme caution! MUST MUST 

WEAR WEAR GLOVES GLOVES & & GOGGLES. 

GOGGLES. 

Fungus taste testing (blue cheese) must be done outside 

of the lab when all exercises are complete. Wash hands 

before touching!\ touching! 

Wine making must be done under sterile conditions. 

Please wash hands, wear gloves, and follow TA 

instructions.

Lab #3: The Kingdom Fungi

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