Fungi are classified into four groups. These are primarily classified on the basis of the type of their sexual reproductive structures and method of reproduction. These groups also have different types of hyphae and some other characters.
Mucor and Rhizopus are saprophytic fungi. They grow on dead organic food substances, such as beads, rotten fruits, etc.
The body of Mucor and Rhizopus is called Mycelium. It consists of many threads like structures, called Hyphae. The hyphae contain cytoplasm, many nuclei, and oil globules. Due to the presence of many nuclei-and unseptate conditions the mycelium is called coenocytic mycelium.
In Mucor and Rhizopus there are two types of reproduction;
When the conditions are favorable, the Mucor and Rhizopus start asexual reproduction. In this process, many erect branches arise from, the hyphae, called sporangiophores. At the tip of each sporangiophore, a rounded body is developed.
In this rounded body cytoplasm, nuclei and oil globules are transferred from the hyphae; the oil globules from a wall in the rounded body. So, two portions arc formed. The upper larger portion is called Sporangium and the lower smaller portion is known as Columella.
In the sporangium, many spores are formed. The Columella increases in size and exerts a pressure on the wall of the sporangium, as a result of which it ruptures and all the spores become free. These spores remain in the air. Whenever they find any organic food substance, they fall down and start germination, to form new mycelium.
The process of sexual reproduction is as follows:
The zygospore germinates into a tube-like structure, called Sporangiophare or promycelium. At the tip of, promycelium, a sporangium is developed; in which numerous spores are formed.
This sporangium is without columella. After the maturation of spores, the wall of sporangium ruptures, and all the spores come out. When they fall on any organic matter, they germinate into a new mycelium of the fungus.
In the life cycle of Ascomycota, there are two types of reproduction:
Asexual reproduction takes place by different methods but conidia formation is the most common reproduction. Other methods are budding and fission etc.
Conidia formation is a very rapid and common method of reproduction. In this process from the mycelium some erect branches arise from the myceliurn known Conidiophore. These conidiophores produce many branches again. At the tip of each Branch, some rounded bodies are developed in chain like manner known as Conidia. The Conidia are separated from the branches, and then they develop into new myceliurn.
In ascomycota sexual reproduction takes place by the formation of male and female reproductive organs. Male are known as antheridia, and female are known as ascogonia.
The ascogonium produces a special structure, called Trichogyne, through which it is connected with antheridium. Through the trichogyne the male nucleus is transferred into female organ, where fertilization takes place and zygote is formed.
The zygote is changed into special structures, called ascus. In the ascus after fertilization the zygote nucleus divides by meiosis into 2 then, 4 and 8 nuclei. These nuclei are converted into ascospores. The organ in which ascospores are formed is called ascus. The ascospores are dispersed by wind. They can develop into new mycelium, during favorable condition.
Yeasts are unicellular microscopic fungi. They are derived from all three groups but mostly from Ascomycetes. They reproduce asexually by budding. Yeasts reproduce sexually by forming asci and ascospores or basidia and basidiospores. They cause fermentation of the carbohydrates (glucose) and change it to ethanol and CO2. Yeasts have great economic importance due to this feature. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the most commonly used yeast.
The wind carries the spore (teliospore) from the infected wheat ears to the healthy flowers. These spores germinate on the flowers and their hyphae penetrate into the flower ovaries. The mycelium spreads inside the ovary and becomes dormant. They remain dormant in seed grain. When such seeds are sown next season, the dormant hyphae grow within the growing plant. It forms smut spores inside the kernel and destroys it completely.
These fungi are called smut as they produce black dusty mass of spores. It resembles the soot or smut. The covering of grain breaks and black spores are released. These spores are dispersed by wind.
It produces numerous rusty orange yellow spots on the host surface (stem, leaves). Later, the fungus releases brick or rust red spores.
It is a heterogeneous group. It includes all such fungi in which sexual reproduction ¡s absent. Most of these fungi are related to the sexually reproducing Ascomycetes. Some are related to other two groups, Zygomycota and Basidiomycota.
If sexual structures are discovered in any imperfect fungi, it will be placed in its appropriate phyla. The biologists now can classify most imperfect fungi on the basis of DNA sequences, though the sexual structures may not be discovered.
Examples: Pencillium (blue green molds), Aspergillus (brown molds), Alternaria, Fusarium, Helminthosporium are some of the economically important genera of Deutromycetes.
There is absence of sexual reproduction in imperfect fungi. But these fungi show special kind of genetic recombination called Parasexuality. The exchange of portion of chromosomes of two nuclei lying in the same hypha is called parasexuality.
These are wide spread saprotrophic fungi. These are commonly found on decaying fruits, bread etc. Its hyphae are septate. Penicillium reproduces asexually by forming naked spores (without sporangia) called conidia. The conidia are present in chains at the tip of special branched hyphae called conidiophores.
The brush like arrangement of the conidia is the characteristic feature of Penicillium. These conidia give blue green colour to the circular colonies of the mycelium. Mature conidia are easily dispersed.
These are present wherever organic matter is present. They grow best in moist habitat. These are successful group of land organisms. They show many terrestrial adaptations.
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