BIOL10005 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Mycorrhiza, Plants And Animals, Algae
Document Summary
* fungi are heterotrophic food absorbers, & the vegetative (feeding) structure is a mycelium. * mycelium is a network of hyphae; monofilaments (cytoplasm in a tube) with large surface area/volume ratio. * cell walls are chitin microfibrils embedded in a matric of polysaccharides, proteins & lipids. * hyphae grow and branch, secrete and absorb, only at the tips. * hyphae may be divided by cross walls called septa. * mycelia are capable of indefinite growth large biomass. * fungi reproduce by non-motile sexual and/or asexual spores (1n) which are resistant and long living. * in fungi, the zygote is the only diploid cells (2n) * hyphae can fuse at their tips, forming cells with mixed nuclei (heterokaryons) * dikaryons (n+n) formed by plasmogamy of compatible mating types. * mycelium of haploid hyphae that grow only at tips. * secrete enzymes that digest their food externally, then absorbed it. * reserves stored as glycogen, fats & oils.