Introduction to true Fungi

Introduction to true Fungi

By-Dhriti Ghose
Assitant Professor
Dept Of Botany
Raja Narendra Lal Khan Women’s College(Autonomous)
Fungi (singular fungus- mushroom)are chlorophyll less thallophytic plant. Due to absence of
chlorophyll, they are heterophytes. Mycology(Mykes-mushroom,logos-study) is the study of
fungi and the concerned scientists are called mycologists.

Alexopoulos and Mims(1979) defined fungi as “eukaryotic spore bearing achlorophyllous

organisms that generally reproduce sexually and asexually, and whose usually filamentous,
branched somatic structures are typically sorrounded by cell walls containing chitin or
cellulose or both of these substances, together with many other complex molecules.”
General characteristics-
1.Fungi are cosmopolitan in distribution i.e, they can grow in any place where life is
possible.
2.They are heteromorphic in nature due to the absence of chlorophyll. On the basis of
their mode of nutrition, they maybe parasite,saprophyte or synbionts.
3.The plant body maybe unicellular(Synchytrium) or filamrntous(Mucor,Aspergillus). The
filament is known as hypha(plural hyphae) and it’s entangled mass is known as mycelium.

4.The hypha maybe aseptate i.e.coenocytic(without septa and containing many nuclei or
septate. The septate mycelium in its cell may contain only
one(monokaryotic),two(dikaryotic) or more nuclei.
5.The septa between the cell may have different types of pores;
micropore(Geotrichum), simple pore(most of the Ascomycotina and
Deuteromycotina) or dolipore(Basidiomycotina,except rusts and smuts).

6.The cells are sorrounded by distinct cell wall(except slime molds),composed of fungal
cellulosei.e, chitin, but in some lower fungi(members of oomycetes) the cell wall is
composed of cellulose or glucan.
7.The cells generally contain colourless protoplasm due to absence of chlorophyll,
containing
nucleus,mitochndria,endoplasmicreticulum,ribosomes,vesicle,microbodies,etc.
8.The cells are haploid,dikaryotic or diploid. The diploid phase is ephemeral(short lived)
9.In lower fungi like Mastigomycotina, the reproductive cells( zoospores and gametes)
maybe uni or bifalgellate, having whiplash and/or tinsel type of flagella. But in higher
fungi like Zygomycotina,Ascomycotina,Basidiomycotina and Deuteromycotina, motile
cells never form at any stage.
10. In response to functional need, the fungal mycelia are modified into different types
such as; plectenchyma,stroma,rhizomorph,sclerotium,hyphal
trap,appresorium,haustorium etc.

11. The unicellular fungi, where entire plant body becomes converted into reproductive unit
are known as holocarpic fungi(Synchytrium). However, in many others,only a part of the
mycelial plant body is converted into reproductive unit, thus they are called eucarpic
fungi(Phytopthora).
12. They reproduce by three means; vegetative,asexual and sexual.
a)Vegetative reproduction takes place by fragmentation(Mucor), budding(Saccharomyces),
and fission(Sachharomyces).
b)Asexual reroduction takes place by different types of spores. These are
zoospores(Synchytrium), conidia(Aspergilus), oidia(Rhizopus), chlamydospore(Fusarium).
The spores maybe unicellular(Aspergillus)or multicellular(Alternaria).
c)Sexual reproduction takes place by the following processes: Gametic
copulation(Synchytrium), gametangial contact(Pythium),Gametangial
copulation(Rhizopus),Spermatization(Pucinia), and Somatogamy(Polyporus).
Composition of cell wall-
The cells are sorrounded by outer rigid structure, the cell wall. It’s composition varies in
different groups of fungi.
According to Aronson and Bartnicki-garcia the cell wall consists of about 80-90%
polysachharides along with proteins(1-15%) and lipids (2-10%).
The most common cell wall material is chitin.
But in some other fungi, cellulose or other glucans are present.
Cellulose is a disachharide composed of two beta d glucose subunits, whereas, Chitin is
the polysachharide made up of N-acetyl glucose amine.

The composition of cell wall varies in different groups of fungi. These are cellulose-
glycogen(Acrasiomycetes), cellulose-glucan(Oomycets), cellulose-
chitin(hyphochytridiomycetes), chitin-chitosan(Zygomycetes), chitin-glucan(Asco,Basidio
and Deuteromycotina), mannan-glucan(Sachharomycetaceae).

Chitin
Classification
 Class- Class-
Class- Class- Myxomycetes
Acrasiomycetes Hydromyxomycetes Plasmodiophoromycetes
Mode of nutrition in Fungi-
Fungi are not able to synthesize their own food due to absence of chlorophyll,thus perform
heterotrophic mode of nutrition obtaining food from external sources.They live as parasites,
saprophytes or in symbiotic association. The fungi produce exoenzymes and endoenzymes.
The exoenzymes like cellulase,amylase and pectinase help complex food materials in their
substrate to break into simpler substances which are then absorbed by them. After entering
inside the cell, the endoenzymes make these absorbed substances acceptable for growth and
nutrition of fungi.
A)Parasites- They obtain their food from living body of both plants and animals. Parasites are
divide into two groups: obligate parasites and facultative parasites.
1)Obligate parasites- Fungi those can live only on living host,but neither on dead decaying
material nor on artificial culture medium are the obligate parasites,e.g- Albugo candida
causes white rot of crucifers.

2)Facultative parasites- Fungi which are actually saprophytes, but on certain conditions can
grow as parasites and cause diseases, and cause diseases, e.g. Pythium debaryanum causes
damping off of chilli seedling.
In parasitic fungi, the hyphae usually grow inter or intracellularly in the host tissue.
Fungi produce different structures inside the host tissue, like haustoria(sing-
haustorium), appressoria(sing-appressorium) for absorption of nutrients.
B)Saprophytes- They obtain their food from dead organic matters. They are also divided
into two groups:obligate saprophytes and facultative saprophytes.
1)Obligate saprophytes- Fungi which obtain their food from dead and decaying organic
matters and not from any living plants or animals are the obligate saprophytes, e.g, Mucor

2)Facultative saprophytes- Fungi which are actually parasites, but on certain conditions
can grow as saprophytes are called facultative saprophytes,e.g, Fusarium
Symbiosis: Lichens and MycorrhizaThis is the mutual association of fungi with other
plants where both are benefited. The partners are called symbionts. Lichen is an example
of symbiosis where there is an association between fungi and algae.
Mycorriza- when fungi live in intimate association with some other unlike living organims
deriving mutual benefit,they are also known as symbionts. A symbiotic, non pathogenic
association of various fungi and bryophytes, pteridophytes and flowering plants is called
mycorrhiza. The mycorrhiza maybe ectotrophic or endotrophic. When the fungal hyphae
remain restricted on the surface of the roots forming a mantle or sheath of light
pseudoparenchymatous fungal tissue which sends branches inward between the cortical
cells of the roots and outward in the soil, is ectotrophic,
and the fungus enters into the roots, where it is frequently kept restricted to well marked
layers, the external sheath is lacking is endotrophic.
Thallus Organization-The assimilative body , or somatic body, or vegetative body of a
fungus is a thallus. It ranges from unicellular uninucleate being rounded,elongated or
lobed in shape with or without having cell wall developed around it, a filamentous
branched structure called mycelium to a poorly developed rhizoid like system
resembling mycelium known as rhizomycelium. Despite this apparent simplicity, fungi
show great diversity in size, metabolic activity and organization of specialized
structures.
When unicellular, thalli produce bud cells in succession, these may remain attached to
one another in a chain called pseudomycelium, it can be seen in Yeast.
Some of the pathogenic fungi have a mycelial thallus in the host but a yeast like thallus
in culture.e.g,Taphrina, these produce dimorphic thalli.
Hypha-Each individual filament of the mycelium is a hypha(pl.hyphae) which is usually a
branched tube like structure having protoplasm with reserve food bounded by a wall .
Hyphae maybe hyaline or variously coloured. Hyphal branching maybe of various types;
Dichotomous,verticillate, cymose and racemose. In dichotomous branching,the apex of
the hypha ceases elongationg and forks into two equal branching.
Septa-The protoplasm of the hypha maybe continuous without being interfered by
cross wall or transverse partition called septa, hence called aseptate or interrupted by
various kinds of septum called septate. An aseptate hypha is nothing but a
multinucleate tube like structure,a coenocyte and the vegetative body is thus
coenocytic. Septa contain various types of pores of various types(refer to point 5 of
general characteristics).
Depending on the number of nuclei in each cell, the septate hyphe maybe mainly of
the following types; With multinucleate cells, with binucleate cells known as
dikaryotic hyphae, each nucleus usually derived from a different parent cell, the
corresponding mycelium is dikaryotic mycelium;
having only one nucleus in each cell,called monokaryotic hyphae,the mycelium being
monokaryotic mycelium.
The mycelium maybe very narrow or wide in thickness with branches ramifying in all
directions which are either narrow or wide angled. The hypha in most fungi, is
developed by the rapid elongation accompanied by branching of a tube like or
filament like structure known as a germ tube which again originates from
germination of a spore. The hypha ramifies spreading over or within a
substratum,(from where it draws nurtition) producing a hyphal colony . The hyphal
colony is composed of radiating hyphae which have a tendency to grow in all
directions starting from a central point and ultimately to develop a spherical colony.
Animals, plants, and fungi are the three major multicellular groups of the domain
Eukaryota. Eukaryotes are organisms with complex cells which have features such as
mitochondria and nuclei.
Affinities with plants and animals-
With Plants-
The existence of thread like filaments,
the antheridial branches and oogonia of the water molds and particularly the
zoospores produced by these forms of fungi naturally suggested alga as their
nearest relatives. Many fungi are superficially plant-like organisms. They
grow visible structures that resemble plants or plant parts. On a microscopic
level, plants and fungi both have cell walls, a feature that metazoan (animal)
cells lack.
According to this view, Fungi are collateral groups of algae i.e,they are no
more than algae which in the course of their evolution have lost their
chlorophyll and chytridiales have evolved from unicellular algae,
saprolegniales from siphonales and zygomycetes from conjugales and higher
fungi from red algae. This view was mainly supported by Pringsheim, Cohn,
Sachs, Brefeld and others.
However, the physiological processes of Algae and fungi are different and
evolutionary changes in metabolism to give rise to fungi from algae seemed
impossible. Also through physiological and cytological studies it has beeen
established that the Algae and Fungi are parallel lines of evolution rather one
originating from the other, both having unicellular motile ancestors.
With Animals
The most obvious similarity between fungi and animals is their trophic level, that is, their place
in the food chain. Neither fungi nor animals are producers as plants are. Both must use external
food sources for energy.
Fungi and animals share a molecule called chitin that is not found in plants. Fungi and many
invertebrate animals use this complex carbohydrate for structural purposes. In fungi, chitin is
the structural component of the cell walls. In animals, it appears in hard structures such as the
exoskeletons of insects and the beaks of octopuses and other mollusks. On a molecular level,
chitin is similar to the plant molecule cellulose, used in plant cell walls and other structures, but
the chitin molecule has a modification that makes it stronger than cellulose.
Gobi first proposed this view of origin of Fungi from protozoa,
Dangeard,Cavers,Cook,martin, langeron,Heim,Ingold supported this view. They said that
derivation of fungi from algae presents more difficulties than does a theory of protozoan
origin. If the product of metabolism and and type of flagella are taken into consideration
then fungi must have originated from protozoa and not algae. In other words, animals have
a more recent common ancestor with fungi than with plants, and the mushrooms in your
salad are more closely related to you than to the lettuce.
Conclusion- It should be considered as a separate taxonomic unit. In the words of
Alexopoulos and Mims(1979) “The fungi are neither plants not animals: they are
fungi”. Due to many distinctive chareacteristics, Fungi are placed in a separate
kingdom in the modern systems of classification of living organisms like the
Whittaker’s Five kingdom system of classification.
References-
1.A Textbook of Botany: Vol I by Hait Bhattacharya Ghosh
2.College Botany vol II
3. http://www.bio.utexas.edu/courses/evolution/crowneuks1.pdf
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