GENERAL CHARACTERS

1. Size varies form microscopic to very large
2. belong to Eukaryotic cellular organization
3. generally immotile
4. cell wall made up of chitin
5. some are unicellular and some are non specialized multicellular
6. uni nucleated / multi nucleated
7. all are heterotrophic
8. lack chlorophyll
9. storage food – Glycogen
10. mitosis occur within the nucleus
11. show sexual and asexual reproduction
12. spores and gametes of some possess flagella
13. they are the major decomposers found in the environment
14. some act as pathogenic parasites
15. Habitat: Water, Terrestrial

NOTE –

• Chitin is a polysaccharide which contains Nitrogen
• Show fibrous structure similar to that of cellulose
• Provides rigidity to the cell wall
  • Thus provides shape for the fungi and prevent the cell from rupturing due to the osmotic changes.

1. Phylum Chytridiomtcota

• Group of ancestral fungi
• Archegonia and Antheridia produce female and male gametes respectively.
• Allomyces shows alternation of Generation

2. Phylum Zygomycota

• Have many nuclei
• Sexual reproduction occur in rare
• Specialized gametes are not produced in sexual reproduction
• Mucor;
  • formed of branched fungal filaments
  • Saprotrophic organism which could be seen in bread, coconut etc.

3. Phylum Ascomycota

• Macrosporangium absent
• During sexual reproduction, eight ascospores form within each ascocarp
• Aspergillus –
  • Saprotrophic fungi
  • Green / greenish blue in colour
  • Secrete several types of enzymes
• Saccharomyces –
  • unicellular egg shaped fungi
  • generally known as yeast
  • form chain like colonies by budding (asexual mode of reproduction)
  • used in industrial manufacture of alcohol
  • relation to oxygen – facultative anaerobic respiration (survive in the presence or absence of oxygen)
  • it is a saprotroph which produces alcohol with the release of carbon dioxide by fermentation (anaerobic respiration)

Conidia – Exogenous asexual spore

4. Phylum Basidiomycota

• Agaricus
  • Saprotrophic organism which generally lay underground
  • Produce basidiocarp which grow above the ground level and produce umbrella like structure during sexual reproduction
  • Asexual spores are produced by fragmentation

Differences between a typical Bacteria and a typical Fungi

Similarities between a typical Bacteria and a typical Fungi

• Show absorptive mode of nutrition
• Have the ability to produce antibiotics
• Show sexual and asexual (spores) reproduction
• Decomposers
• Secrete extracellular enzymes

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