Kingdom - Fungi

 Mycology - Study of fungi 

Father of mycology - P.A. Micheli

(Book:- Nova plantarum Genera)

CHARACTERS 

(1) Fungi show a great diversity in morphology and habitat. Fungi are Cosmopolitan. Fungi are found mostly in humus rich soil. But in the presence of moisture, These can grow only leather, wood, pickle and bread. Some fungi live parasitically in plants, animals and human body.

(2) Chloroplast is absent in fungi, so fungi are heterotrophs. The fungi constitute the unique kingdom of heterotrophic organism. Fungi obtain their own food from dead organic matter or leaving organisms.

On the basis of source of food fungi are of two types:- 

(a) Saprophytic:- These fungi obtain their own food from dead organic matter such as bread, rottening fruit, vegetable and dung. 

• Nutrition is of absorptive type of Saprophytic fungi.

(b) Parasite :- These obtain their own food from living organism such as plants, animals and human beings.

•They obtain nutrition with the help of haustoria.

(3) Some fungi are found symbiotically associated with algae and form lichens. Some fungi are found symbiotically in the roots of higher plants and form mycorrhiza.

(4) The body of franchise called my cilium mycillium is composed of filaments called hypha.

(Hypha - Plural = Hyphae)

(5) Cell wall is made up of chitin( fungal Cellulose) and polysaccharides.

Note :- (1) Cell wall of the members of class- oomycetes is mainly made up of cellulose.

(2) In fungi the stored food remains in the form of glycogen and oil.

(3) They prefer to grow in warm and humid places.

(4) Disease caused by fungi - orange rots, white spot of mustard, rust in wheat.

Heterothallism and Homothallism :- 

Homothallism fungi :- 

Those in which every thallus is sexually self fertile and can, therefore, reproduce sexually by itself without the aid of another thallus.

   eg. Chaetomium, Albugo candida

Heterothallic fungi :- 

Those in which every thallus sexual self sterile and requires the aid of another compatible thallus of a different mating type for sexual reproduction.

        eg. Species of mucor, Rhizopus, Puccinia                 & Maximum fungi

       REPRODUCTION 

(1) Vegetative reproduction:- 

(A) Fragmentation:- Sometimes the fungal filament (mycilium) breaks into small pieces due to any reason. Now these pieces form a new fungal filament and starts working like normal filament.

(B) Budding:-

                     eg. Saccharomyces (Yeast)

(C) Fission:- 

                   eg. Schizosaccharomyces( Yeast)

Note:- Reproduction through bud formation and Fission takes place only in nonmycelial form.