Kingdom Fungi or Mycota
The fungi, comprising of nonvascular organisms, exhibit an osmotrophic type of heterotrophic
nutrition. Although the mycelium may be complex, they also exhibit only simple tissue
differentiation, if any at all. Their cell walls usually contain chitin, and they commonly release
spores during reproduction.
Fungi show a great diversity in morphology and habitat. Fungi are heterotrophic organisms and
they obtain their nutrients by absorption. The cell wall of fungi is mostly made up of
carbohydrate chitin, while the cell wall in plants is made of cellulose. The carbohydrates stored
in fungi are in the form of glycogen. The 'fruit' body of fungus is only seen, while the living body
of the fungus is a mycelium and it is made up of tiny filaments called hyphae. The mycelium is
hidden. Nutrition in fungi is by absorbing nutrients from the organic material in which they live.
Fungi do not have stomach; they digest their food before it passes through the cell wall into the
hyphae. The hyphae secret enzymes and acids that break down the organic material into simple
compounds.
General characteristics of fungi are as follows:
• Fungi are eukaryotic organisms.
• They are non-vascular organisms.
• They reproduce by means of spores.
• Depending on the specie and conditions both sexual and asexual spores may be
produced.
• They are typically non-motile.
• Fungi exhibit the phenomenon of alteration of generation.
• The vegetative body of the fungi may be unicellular or composed of microscopic threads
called hyphae.
• The structure of cell wall is similar to plants but chemically the fungi cell wall is
composed of chitin.
• Fungi are heterotrophic organisms.
• Fungi digest the food first and then ingest the food, to accomplish this the fungi produce
exoenzymes.
• Fungi store their food as starch.
• Biosynthesis of chitin occurs in fungi.
• The nuclei of the fungi is very small.
• During mitosis the nuclear envelope is not dissolved.
• Nutrition in fungi - they are saprophytes, or parasites or symbiotics.
• Reproduction in fungi is both by sexual and asexual means. Sexual state is referred to as
teleomorph, while asexual state is referred to as anamorph.
F. Kingdom: Fungi
Fungi are grouped into 4
1. CHYTRIDIOMYCOTA:-
- They are saprophytic.
- They have long filament that is tubular with cytoplasm living and large vacuole.
- There is presence of zoospores. (Zoospore are motile asexual spores).
- They live in both water and soil.
- They are microscopic
- They have cellulose cell wall.
Eg Betrachoclytrium dendiobatids (Bd): it causes fetal fungal disease leading to death and
extinctions of amphibians. The fungus causes chytridiomycosis. It attacks the animal skin and
disrupts respiration and osmoregulation. (phytopthera infestans).
Eg Allomyces: - it is a fresh water fungus that causes disease in Irish potatoes. (It causes late
blight in Irish potatoes).
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
1. Their zoospore are good source of zooplankton
2. They decompose particulate organic matter
3. Parasites of aquatic animals and plants
4. They convert inorganic compound to organic compound
5. They are good decomposers.
ZYGOMYCOTA:-
- They live on soil, plant and animals
- They are fast growing fungi that reproduce with the formation of zygospores
- They are terrestrial moulds
- Motile cells are absent in life cycle
- hyphea cell walls are chiefly composed of chitinchitosan.
Eg mucor, rhizopus, rhizomucor, apophysomules etc
- They are commonly known as the bread moulds.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
- Production of food and beverages through fermentation.
- They play a major role in carbon cycle because of their ability to decompose soil, plant
matter and drugs
- Some of them like mucor, rhizopus, absidia, conidiobulus and basidiobolus
- Spoilage organisms
- Producers of enzymes
- Fermentation of soybeans.
BASIDIOMYCOTA:-
- They are known as the filamentous fungi
- Most of them reproduce sexually with the aid of sporing organ called basidium.
- Long lived dikaryotoic stage is seen in them.
- They are one of the largest divisions of fungi.
- It is a monophyletic group with more than 31,000 living species.
- They have cub shape structure.
- They are probably ancient eg smut, rust and the mushroom
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
1. Ability to convert inorganic nitrogen to amino acid and protein, enables them to convert
wood into food for animals.
2. Ability to degrade lignocelluloses.
3. Recycle carbon and other nutrients in the ecosystem.
4. Wild mushroom that belong to the division are used in pharmacology to produce anti-
inflammatory, immunostimulation, antiviral, antioxidant, antifungicidal and antitumoral
drugs.
5. They undergo symbiotic relationship with plant as they enable them absorb nutrients from
soil and they receive sugar produce by photosynthesis.
6. The mushroom and puffballs are edible and act as source of income.
ASCOMYCOTA:-
- They are known as the sae fungi
- They are plant pathogens, animal pathogen and edible mushroom.
- They have asci in a fruiting body called ascocamp. Eg:- morels, yeast, claviceps, earth
tongues.
- They are septate fungi with filament partitioned by cellular cross-walls called septa
- They undergo sexual and asexual reproduction.
- Those that reproduce sexually produce ascus that contain ascopores.
The pathogenic class are
Saccharomycotina – candida
Taphinomycotin – pneumocytis riroveci
Pesisomycotin – very numerous.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
1. Food production and flavouring
2. Edible mushroom they are very expensive (morals and traffles).
3. Morels provide enhanced water and nutrients uptake and also protection from insects.
4. Production of antibiotic.
