BIOL 1202 Chapter : Plant Biology
Document Summary
Molds: many rapidly growing, asexually reproducing fungi (mostly ascomycetes and basidiomycetes, fungi do not do photosynthesis, they do have chlorophyll, the structure of their cell wall is different. Ecosystems on earth would collapse without the molds and mildew (plus many bacteria) that break down organic matter into inorganic nutrients. Yeasts: many unicellular fungi that inhabit liquid or moist surfaces and reproduce asexually, occur in the ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, and zygomycetes, free-living, parasitic, and mutualistic symbiotic forms exist. Mycorrhizae: symbiotic associations with plants (representatives known from all fungal phyla, not just glomeromycetes. Lichens: obligate symbiotic associations with algae or cyanobacteria (unicellular photosynthetic organisms); can be prokaryote or eukaryote. Biotic control agents: the first antibiotic used by humans, termites, weevils, etc. Interesting example of agriculture in insects: leaf-cutter ants cut and carry leaf fragments to their nests, where the fragments are used to form fungi, some soil fungi snare nematode worms in hyphal nooses and then digest them.
