GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FUNGI - HABITAT, NUTRITION, VEGETATIVE STRUCTURE, FUNGAL CELL STRUCTURE, REPRODUCTION
On the basis of mode of nutrition, fungi are
divided into two types – saprophytes and parasites.
1. Saprophytes:- The fungi
which live on dead or decaying organic plant and animal remains, and other
rotten organic food matters are known as saprobes or saprophytes. As per
example, species of Mucor, Rhizopus, Agaricus, etc. The vegetative
body i.e., hyphae of these fungi come in intimate contact with the substratum
and obtain food by direct diffusion through the hyphal walls, causing thereby
disintegration of the organic matter which is utilized by those fungi.
2. Parasites:- The fungi which
live on other living organisms (plants and animals) and obtain their food i.e.,
the nutrients from the living tissues of the organisms are known as parasites.
The organisms, upon which they live, are called hosts. Among the parasitic
fungi, three degree of parasitism can be seen –
a) Obligate parasites –
They can grow only upon suitable living host tissues. They cannot be grown in
artificial media. Example: Downy and powdery mildews.
b) Facultative saprophytes –
Normally they live as parasites and obtain their best development as such.
However, they can also live as saprophytes under emergent circumstances. They
can also be cultured in an artificial media. Example: Phytophthora
infestans, a parasite on potato and Taphrina deformans, a leaf
curl fungi.
c) Facultative parasites –
Normally they live as saprophytes on soil, but when suitable host plants are
shown in such a soil, they attack the plant and start living as parasites.
Example: Fusarium species, Botrytis cinerea, etc.
Fungi are unable to manufacture their own food
material due to the lack of green pigments in their body. They had to obtain
their food either from living organism as parasites or from dead organic
substances as saprophytes.
Alexopoulos and Mims (1979), mentioned that
usually all fungi require – C, O, H, N, P, K, Mg, S, P, Mn, Cu, Mo, Ca, Fe and
Zn. These elements are classified as major and minor elements according to the
quantity required by fungi –
Macro or major elements:- Some of these elements are required by
fungi in large amounts and due to the lack of which, the growth of fungi is
adversely affected. Such elements are called macro elements. Example: C, N, H,
O, S, P, K and Mg.
Minor or micro elements:- Some elements are required by fungi in
small amounts or in trace. These are called trace or micro elements. Example:
Ca (Calcium).
Fungi also synthesize some compounds which are
functioning as vitamins. Glucose, ammonium and nitrogenous compounds as
nitrates form the best food for fungi. Excess of food is stored by fungi in the
form of glycogen and lipids.
C. VEGETATIVE STRUCTURE:
1. Thallus:- The vegetative phase of a fungus is a thallus.
It may be unicellular or filamentous.
a) Unicellular thallus:- In
some lower fungi such as chytrids, Plasmodiophora, yeast, etc. the thallus is
made of single cell. The cells in chytrids are more or less
spherical in structure. In Plasmodiophora, it is a naked,
multinucleate, amoeboid mass of protoplasm.
b) Filamentous thallus:- Majority
of fungi have filamentous thallus. It originates through the germination of
spore. The spore germinates on falling in a suitable substratum give rise to a
mass of fluffy thallus consisting of a cottony mass of fine, branched
filaments. These filaments are called hyphae. Collectively, the hyphae comprise
the vegetative body of a fungus called the mycelium.
2. Mycellium:- The fungal vegetative body is called the
mycelium. The fungal mycelium, in fact is a multinucleate structure lacking
complete internal cell boundaries. The fungal mycelium is of two types –
aseptate and septate mycelium.
a) Aseptate mycelium:- In algal
fungi (Class – Phycomycetes), the mycelium in the vegetative phase usually
lacks internal partitions. The hyphae are thus multinucleate and aseptate. The
mycelium is a continuous mass. It grows terminally by the apical elongation of
the hyphae accompanied by the increase in the number of nuclei by nuclear
divisions. The aseptate multinucleate mycelium is called coenocytic.
b) Septate mycelium:- The
members of other class of fungi (Class – Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes)
develop internal cross walls called the septa which divide the hyphae into
segments. The segments may be uninucleate or multinucleate. In a septate
mycelium, the septa are in transverse position. Each septa has a pore through
which cytoplasmic contents and even the nuclei can regularly pass from one cell
to another.
D. FUNGAL CELL STRUCTURE:
A typical fungal cell shows the following
parts –
1. Cell wall:- Cell wall is the outermost covering of
the fungal cell. The composition of the cell wall is variable between different
species of fungi. But in majority of fungi, the cell wall lacks cellulose and
contains chitin, known as fungus cellulose. Chitin occurs as elongated
variously oriented microfibrillar units which are laid down in layers to form
the basic structure of the cell wall. Along with the chitin, the chief
constituents of the cell wall are polysaccharides, proteins, lipids and other
substances are also seen.
2. Protoplast:- The living substance of the cell inside
the cell wall is the protoplast. It lacks chloroplast but is associated with
other cell constituents like – cell membrane, cytoplasm, cell organelles and
one or more nuclei.
a) Cell or plasma membrane –
It is delicate, extremely thin, permeable, living membrane which encloses the
protoplast. The cell membrane is pressed against the cell wall except the
occasional invaginations in some regions. The invagination is in the form of
folded convoluted pockets enclosing granular or vesicular material.
b) Cytoplasm – Within
the plasma membrane lie the colourless cytoplasm in which sap filled vacuoles
may occur. Immersed in the cytoplasm are structures known as organelles and
inclusions. The organelles are living structures, each with a specific
function. The inclusions are dead and have no specific function to the cell.
The different cell organelles present in the cytoplasm of fungal cells are –
ER, mitochondria, ribosomes, golgi apparatus and vacuoles.
i) Endoplasmic reticulum (ER): The
ER of fungal cell is highly vesicular. Usually it is loose and more irregular
than the green plants. ER of fungal cell is composed of a system of membranes
or microtubular structures usually beset with small granules.
ii) Mitocondria: The mitochondria
of a fungal cell is a small spherical body. Each mitochondrion is enveloped by a
double membrane. The inner membrane is infolded to form a cristae, filled with
fluid. The mitochondria functions as the power house.
iii) Golgi apparatus: Golgi
apparatus occurs in fungi Oomycetes. It is a flattened sac surrounded by bubble
like structures.
iv) Vacuoles: The vacuoles appears
in older fungal cells. They are colourless sap-filled which has a tendency to
enlarge and reduce the the cytoplasm to thin lining layer within the cell wall.
v) Nucleus: The cytoplasm of
fungal cell contains one, two or more globose or ellipsoidal nuclei.
Structurally nucleus consist of - central dense body with a clear area around
it, chromatin strands and the nuclear membrane.
vi) Inclusions: The cytoplasm
contains various type of inclusions. Some of the inclusions embedded are lipid
globules, granules of glycogen, oils, carbohydrates, proteinaceous materials
and volutin. It also contains carotenoids, enzymes and organic acids.
Three types of reproduction are observed in
fungi. These are – vegetative, asexual and sexual method of reproduction.
1. Vegetative Reproduction:- Vegetative reproduction takes place by
the following methods –
a) Fragmentation - It
involves the breaking up of the entire thallus or some portion i.e., hypal
filaments into one or more pieces. Each piece grows into a new plant.
b) Fission - This is
noted in some unicellular fungi such as yeast. It involves the splitting up of
the vegetative cell into two daughter cells by constriction or by transverse
wall.
c) Budding - In this
case a vegetative cell gives rise to small outgrowths called buds. The buds,
after detachment from the parent cell grow into a new individual.
2. Asexual Reproduction:- Asexual reproduction takes place by
means of one or more specialized reproductive units called spores. The different
types of spores which bring about asexual reproduction are as follows –
a) Oidia – These are
also called arthrospores. They are vegetatively formed rectangular or rounded
fragments which arise directly from breaking up of hyphae. Example – Trichosporon
biegeli.
b) Conidia – These are
non-motile spores cut off externally either singly (Phytophthora) or in chains
(Penicillium) from the tip of the specialized aerial hyphae called
conidiophores.
c) Zoospores – These
are endogenously produced unicellular, naked, motile spores having one or two
flagella. Zoospores are produced within a sac-like structure called
zoosporangium which is formed at the tip of zoosporangiophore. Example – Phytium, Phytophthora,
etc.
d) Sporangiospores –
These are unicellular, endogenously produced non-motile and non-flagellate
spores formed within the sac-like structure called sporangium, developed at the
tip of special erect hypha called sporangiophore. Example – Mucor, Rhizopus,
etc.
e) Chlamydospores –
They are unicellular, non-motile, thick walled, dark coloured, non-deciduous
resting spores, formed due to the enlargement of terminal or intercalary hyphal
cell. They accumulate much food reserves and form a thick wall. During
favourable conditions the chlamydospore resume growth and develop into a new
individual. Example – Fusarium, Phytophthora, Mucor,
etc.
f) Ascospores – These
are unicellular or multicellular and non-motile spores formed endogenously in a
definite number (4 to 8) after meiosis within a special type of structure
called ascus. It is the characteristic spores of Ascomycotina.
Example – Saccharomyces, Peziza, Ascobolus, etc.
g) Basidiospores –
These are non-motile, unicellular spores formed exogenously on a special type
of fruiting body called basisium. It is the characteristic spores of
Basidiomycotina. Example – Agaricus, Coprinus, etc.
h) Zygospores – These
are sexually produced diploid spores, which are formed as a result of
union of two morphologically undifferentiated gametes. It is the characteristic
spores of Zygomycotina. Example – Mucor, Rhizopus, etc.
i) Oospores – These
spores are formed as a result of fusion of two morphologically differentiated
gametes i.e. male and female gametes. It is the characteristic spores of
Oomycotina.
3. Sexual Reproduction:- It involves the production of new
individual by the method of fusion of two morphologically different gametes
i.e., male and female gametes. The various methods of sexual reproduction in
fungi are as follows –
a) Gametic copulation –
It involves the fusion of two gametes, may be in between two isogametes (two
gametes indistinguishable in size and structure) and anisogametes (two gametes
distinguishable in size and structure). When fusion occurs between two
isogametes, it is called isogamy and when fusion occurs between two
anisogametes, it is called anisogamy. Example – Monoblepharis,
Monoblepharella, etc.
b) Gametangial
contact – In this process, the two gametangia of opposite sex
i.e., antheridia and oogonia, come in contact to each other, next the male
gamete migrate from antherediun to the oogonium through a pore developed at the
point of wall contact via fertilization tube. Soon after the migration of the
gametes the gametangium, ie., both the antheredium and the oogonium
disintegrate. In some cases only the
antheredium may disintegrate and the oogoniun
continues development in various ways. Example – Phytium aphinidermatum, P.
debaryanum, etc.
c) Gametangial copulation –
In this method, fusion of entire contents of the two copulating gametangia
takes place. This process takes place in any one of the two ways – i) transfer
of the whole contents of the antheredium to the oogonium, and ii) by fusion of
the two gametangia into one cell.
d) Spermatization – In
this process, small, uninucleate, unicellular spore-like bodies called spermatia are
carried by various agencies like insects, water, wind, etc., to the female
gametangia or a typical receptive hyphae to which they remain allied. The
contents of the spermatia passes to those receptive hyphae through a pore
formed due to the dissolution of the walls of contact. Example – Padospora
anserine, Puccinia, etc.
e) Somatogamy – In
most of the higher fungi where sex organs are absent, cells takes over the
sexual reproduction. In this process the nucleus of the cell passes into the
corresponding somatic cell by dissolving the walls between them and thus a
dikaryotic condition is established.
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