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Overview of Zoosporic Fungi

This document summarizes the key characteristics of zoosporic fungi, which are estimated to include 500,000 to 5.1 million fungal species. The main phyla of zoosporic fungi are described, including Blastocladiomycota, Chytridiomycota, Cryptomycota, Monoblepharidiomycota, and Neocallimastigomycota. Zoosporic fungi reproduce primarily through mitosis and dispersal of flagellated zoospores that lack cell walls. They live in aquatic or moist environments and can infect plants, algae, and animals. The largest phylum, Chytridiomycota, includes pathogens

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209 views3 pages

Overview of Zoosporic Fungi

This document summarizes the key characteristics of zoosporic fungi, which are estimated to include 500,000 to 5.1 million fungal species. The main phyla of zoosporic fungi are described, including Blastocladiomycota, Chytridiomycota, Cryptomycota, Monoblepharidiomycota, and Neocallimastigomycota. Zoosporic fungi reproduce primarily through mitosis and dispersal of flagellated zoospores that lack cell walls. They live in aquatic or moist environments and can infect plants, algae, and animals. The largest phylum, Chytridiomycota, includes pathogens

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Zoosporic Fungi

Estimated 500k to 5.1 mil species of extant fungi


~100k described species
~1200 described zoosporic fungi
<2% of known fungal taxa
Five phyla
Blastocladiomycota
Chytridiomycota
Cryptomycota/Rosellomycota
Monoblepharidiomycota
Neocallimastigomycota
Olpidium?
Zoospores
Uninucleate flagellated spore
Lacks cell wall
Endogenous energy reserves
Formed Primarily through mitosis
Some taxa can produce sexually. Most haploid and clone themselves.
Requires water for dispersal
Aquatic, semi aquatic habitats
Capillary action in soils
Photo-, chemotactic= react to light and can smell/taste
Swim until they find host or substrate
Encystment on host/substrate
Retract flagellum and begin rhizoid development. Make rhizoids, not hyphae.
Early vegetative growth
Germling phase
Blastidiocladiomycota
Mainly saprobes but also some parasites of algae, plants, animals (small ones)
Coelomomyces are obligate endoparasites of insects
Catenaria spp. Parasitize small animals
Physoderma spp. Are plant parasites
Complex life history among zoosporic fungi
Undergo both meiosis and mitosis
Male and female gametes produced in monoecius thallus
Chytridiomycota
Largest zoosporic phylum
7 orders, 2 additional ineages
Ubiquitous distribution
Isolated from desert sands to Antarctic permafrost
Predominantly saprobic, also parasitic (primarily algae but sometimes plants and invertebrates)

Degrade keratin, cellulose, chitin, and pollen


Parasites of algae, plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates
Largely haploid, asexual
Rare sexual reproduction in some species
Formation of resting spores
Diverse zoospore ultrastructure despite morphological conservation
42+ zoospore types
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
Virulent pathogen of amphibians
Etiologic agent of chytridiomycosis
Contributed to the extinction ~200 species of amphibian
Spread may be linked to Xenopus laevis
Crayfish serve as a reservoir
Degrades keratin
Infects tadpole mouthparts
Spreads to skin in adults
Hyperkeratinization of skin
Restricts cutaneous gas
Exchange and affects osmoregularity
Cryptomycota
Described from environmental sequences in 2012
Thought to be endoparasites
Rozella allomycis is an endoparasite of another zoosporic fungus
May represent base of fungal tree
or a protistan lineage
Monoblepharidiomycota
Exclusively aquatic and saprobic
Degrade cellulose and chitin
Filamentous growth pattern
foamy mycelium
Oogamous reproduction
Polycentric sporangia
Neocallimastigomycota
Obligate endosymbionts of herbivores
rumen fungi
Found in ruminants and one species of iguana
Polyflagellated zoospores
1-2 flagella per spore
Flagella are shed, not retracted
May be free living in ODE (oxygen deficient environments)

Recovered from anaerobic landfills, anaerobic marine sediment

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