6. Fungi
Eucaryotic, unicellular to multicellular, microscopic
to macroscopic organisms, spore bearer with
absorptive nutrition and lacking chlorophyll
10. Harmful effect-
• Pathogenic for plants, animals
• Over 5000 sp attack economically valuable crops,
garden plants and many wild plants
• About 20 new human fungal pathogens are
documented each year
11. Structure
• Single cell ( yeast) to multi-cellular
• Cell wall is having chitin
• Thallus- vegetative structure
• Thallus consists of long, branched, thread like
structure called hyphae
• Collection of hyphae make mycelia
• Collection of mycelia make thallus
15. Nutrition and metabolism
• Most fungi are saprophytes
• They grow in dark, moist habitat rich with organic
materials
• Release hydrolytic enzymes to digest substrate
• Chemoorganoheterotroph
• Storage material-glycogen
• Use glucose or maltose and nitrogenous
compounds to synthesize their own amino acids
and proteins
• They are usually aerobic except yeast(facultative
anaerobe)
44. Ustiloginomycetes 6
• Common corn pathogen, causes tumour in plants
• Have specialized hyphae called appresorria for
penetrating host tissue
• With the help of these tomours are formed and
fungi grow inside to produce spores called
teliospores
50. Importance of Mycorrhiza
• Fungus help protect its host from stress
• Delivers nutrients from soil
• Fungus get carbohydrate from the plant
51. Microsporidia 8
• Confusing taxonomy(curious fungi)
• Considered as protist
• Some are pathogens
• Are obligatory parasite, infects insects, fish,
human (AIDS patients are the target)
• Causes diarrhoea, pneumonia, encephalitis,
nephritis
• Morphology of spore- unique