All Fungi Are Not the Same - Essay Example

All Fungi are not the same All Fungi are not the same There are three types of fungal phyla. These include the phylum Zygomycota or zygomycetes, phylum Ascomycota or ascomycetes and phylum Basidiomycota or basidiomycetes. Their sexual reproductive structures primarily distinguish the three phyla. Looking at their reproduction methods, there are key characteristics in each that brings a distinction between them. The Ascomycota develops through sexual means. Ascospores formation happens inside a sac referred to as an ascus.

Similarly, asexual reproduction is a common means of reproduction with ascomycota. Some typical examples include yeast, morels and truffles. Basidiomycota phylum develops through sexual means. Basidiospores are formed on club-shaped structures known as basidia. A terminal hyphal cell produces spores called basidium. In this phylum, asexual reproduction occurs, but occasionally. Some of its typical examples include the mushrooms rusts and toadstools. The Zygomycota phylum develops by both sexual and asexual means.

They have thallus, which is composed of hyphae, which elongates through the growth of a tip. Multinucleate hyphae do not have septa except for the reproductive structures. When hyphae fuse, this directly leads to the formation of a zygote. In the process of zygote formation, meiosis occurs shortly before it germinates. The typical examples of the phylum include the Rhizopus commonly referred to as the black bread mold. As Vandenkoornhuyse, et al. (2002) observes, generally, fungi are eukaryotic organisms that are neither plants nor animals.

As heterotrophic organisms that are devoid of chlorophyll, they obtain their nutrients through absorption. Glycogen is the primary carbohydrate stored in fungi. Fungi excrete enzymes into their food source and live within an external digestion. Ascomycota live in specific locations often forming symbiotic relationships with plant roots, stems, leaves and algae to obtain nutrients. Basidiomycota are mutualistic symbionts and obtain nutrients from living hosts, roots, vascular plants and insects.

They obtain sugars and nutrients produced through photosynthesis. Zygomycota makes use of light regulation for its development and growth. Light directs the growth of structures and activates the metabolic pathways. Zygomycetes grow in a wide range of environments and temperatures, with some growing in aerobic conditions. However, most are terrestrial meaning that they grow in liquid culture, at salty concentrations and high water activities to obtain nutrients. They can also be found in decaying animal and plant materials.

Ascomycota offer some benefits to humans. The most common mold, Pencillium chrysogenum, attack competing bacteria and penicillin, and is one of the most used antibiotics since 20th century. Some produce useful proteins like insulin, while others can be for medical use. Yeast is used in making bread, wine and beer, as well as manufacturing cheese. Yeast is also edible like in the case of lobster mushroom. Ascomycota has a number of organisms highly known as agents of most plant diseases. A case of this is the powdery mildew.

Basidiomycetes can also be used as food like in the case of mushrooms, used as wood-decaying enzymes in paper production and other enzymes that are used for hallucinogenic purposes. However, those that grow on roots and leaves produce rings to fruiting bodies and can destroy massive grass or form a water-repellant mass that dehydrate the grass. Zygomycetes acts as decomposers in the soil and play an important role in the carbon cycle. As a result of environmental contamination, zygomycetes lead to a number of clinical diseases called zygomycosis (Ribes, Vanover-Sams & Baker, 2000).

ReferencesRibes, J. A., Vanover-Sams, C. L., & Baker, D. J. (2000). Zygomycetes in human disease. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 13(2), 236-301.Vandenkoornhuyse, P., Baldauf, S., Leyval, C., Straczec, J., Young, J. (2002). Extensive fungal diversity in plant roots. Science, 295(5562), 2051-2051.