Question

Explain some different types of fungi. State the different divisions undergo by fungi.

Answer 1

Fungi is a group of micro-organisms which are both unicellular and multi-cellular and are able to produce both sexually and asexually. There are many different types of fungi that have unique characteristics and properties. Here are some types of fungi

1. Zygomycota – It is the terrestrial type of fungi and consumes its nutrition from decaying matter. The hyphae does not consists of the septa and hence they are unicellular as the large cell is formed by multiple mycelia. The cell consists of many nuclei. The type of the fungi is known to reproduce through asexual mode with help of spores. Example of the same is Rhizopus stolonifer
2. Ascomycota – They are pathogenic in nature and hence are responsible for causing a number of infections. They are single cells and are non-motile and they consist of cell wall that is made of chitin. They majorly reproduce through both sexual and asexual mode and hence majorly uses budding, fission and through ascus production. Through asexual reproduction, it produces conidiophores and it can also produce gametangia through sexual reproduction. Example – Candida albicans
3. Chytridiomycota – They are majorly aquatic type of fungi and they have motile stages. It consists of zoospores which consist of motile cells and they have a flagellum. They are mostly parasitic in nature. In such type of fungi there is no sexual reproduction. They are also known for causing fungi infection. Example Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
4. Basidiomycota – They are also known as Basidiomyctes and they are known for producing basidiospores which are called as basidia. It forms the fruiting body known as fruiting body and it is able to form septate hyphae. They are known for producing sexual reproduction. One example is mushroom
5. Glomeromycota – They are known to form the mycorrhizae and mostly are reproduce asexually. This type of fungi are mutualistic in nature and are obligate in nature and they are able to penetrate into cells of the roots. They majorly uses asexual reproduction.

Different division which helps in fungi

Sexual Reproduction

Asexual reproduction – There are many fungi which are able to reproduce asexually through process of fragmentation, spore production and budding. In the process of mycelia fragmentation, the mycelium of the fungal separate into pieces and then the fragments are able to grow into individual mycelium. Next step is budding which is also known as cytokinesis where a bud forms leading to mitotic division and gradually the bud detaches from mother cell. The next is through formation of asexual spores produced through mitosis. The spores release from thallus and produce sporangium which is a reproductive sac.

Sexual reproduction – The next mode is the sexual reproduction and this is when there is mating that occurs between two, it leads to production of new fungi. These two mating types are present within the same mycelium. The sexual reproduction consists of three stages which are plasmogamy when two haploid cells fuse together and in the single cell twon haploid nuclei is produced, karyogamy where zygote is formed that is diploid after two haploid nuclei fuse and last is meiosis where gametes are formed in gametangia.