What is the difference between spore production in basidiomycota and ascomycota

Most familiar mushrooms belong to this division. Fungi that have no known sexual cycle were classified in the form phylum Deuteromycota, which the present classification puts in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.

Glomeromycota form tight associations called mycorrhizae with the roots of plants. Skills to Develop Classify fungi into the five major phyla Describe each phylum in terms of major representative species and patterns of reproduction.

This chytrid causes skin diseases in many species of amphibians, resulting in species decline and extinction. Zygomycota: The Conjugated Fungi The zygomycetes are a relatively small group of fungi belonging to the Phylum Zygomycota. In the sexual life cycle, plus and minus mating types conjugate to form a zygosporangium. The b tips of bread mold are the spore-containing sporangia.

Ascomycota: The Sac Fungi The majority of known fungi belong to the Phylum Ascomycota , which is characterized by the formation of an ascus plural, asci , a sac-like structure that contains haploid ascospores. The haploid phase is the predominant phase of the life cycle.

Which of the following statements is true? A dikaryotic ascus that forms in the ascocarp undergoes karyogamy, meiosis, and mitosis to form eight ascospores. A diploid ascus that forms in the ascocarp undergoes karyogamy, meiosis, and mitosis to form eight ascospores. A haploid zygote that forms in the ascocarp undergoes karyogamy, meiosis, and mitosis to form eight ascospores. A dikaryotic ascus that forms in the ascocarp undergoes plasmogamy, meiosis, and mitosis to form eight ascospores.

Basidiomycota: The Club Fungi The fungi in the Phylum Basidiomycota are easily recognizable under a light microscope by their club-shaped fruiting bodies called basidia singular, basidium , which are the swollen terminal cell of a hypha.

The body of this fungus, its mycelium, is underground and grows outward in a circle. A basidium is the fruiting body of a mushroom-producing fungus, and it forms four basidiocarps. The result of the plasmogamy step is four basidiospores. Karyogamy results directly in the formation of mycelia. A basidiocarp is the fruiting body of a mushroom-producing fungus. Asexual Ascomycota and Basidiomycota Imperfect fungi—those that do not display a sexual phase—use to be classified in the form phylum Deuteromycota , , a classification group no longer used in the present, ever-developing classification of organisms.

The spherical structure in this light micrograph is a conidiophore. Glomeromycota The Glomeromycota is a newly established phylum which comprises about species that all live in close association with the roots of trees. Summary Chytridiomycota chytrids are considered the most primitive group of fungi.

Answer A. Answer D. Conidia are usually produced externally on the tips of modified hyphae in simple chains or clusters. In contrast to the basidiomycetes, ascomycetes have a more limited dikaryotic stage. The dikaryotic stage eventually gives rise to an ascocarp and sexual ascospores.

Let's turn our attention to the life cycle of the typical ascomycete depicted in Figure 3. We will start with step 1 in the sexual part of the life cycle, in which two compatible haploid hyphae become intertwined and form an ascogonium and an antheridium not to be confused with the male gametangium known as an antheridium in plants.

In this case, in step 2, the ascogonium acts as a "female" and accepts nuclei from the antheridium after plasmogamy has occurred. In step 3, the resultant dikaryon is then capable of forming a cup-shaped ascocarp. In step 4, asci begin to form on the surface of the ascocarp at the tips of the dikaryotic mycelium, and in step 5, karyogamy occurs to form the highly transient diploid nucleus.

In step 6, the diploid nucleus immediately undergoes meiosis, yielding four, genetically distinct, haploid nuclei. In step 7, after an additional round of mitosis, the ascus now contains eight haploid nuclei. In step 8, these eight nuclei will eventually develop into eight ascospores, which are released from the ascus on the surface of the ascocarp.

In the final step in the sexual cycle step 9 , haploid mycelia arise from the aforementioned ascospores as the sexual cycle begins again. Next, turn your attention to the left side of the diagram. Step 10 depicts the asexual part of the life cycle. Here, a compatible haploid partner is not present and the haploid mycelium is capable of producing asexual spores conidia by segmentation of its hyphae.

These segments will compartmentalize into conidia, and wind or water dispersal will follow. The fourth, and final, division in the kingdom Fungi that we will cover is the phylum Basidiomycota Fig. This is the phylum that you are probably most familiar with because it contains fungi which are generally referred to as gilled fungi or gilled mushrooms.

However, with over 25, classified species, it also houses diverse members such as puffballs, shelf fungi, and rusts which are important plant pathogens. Basidiomycetes are often called club fungi because the cells basidia that bear the sexual spores resemble a small club.

Biologically, basidiomycetes follow the same theme as the rest of the fungal kingdom; they are important decomposers, plant pathogens, and symbionts with plants mycorrhizal. Here are some drawings of asci. If you click on the camera you will see a photo of the corresponding fruiting body. To give you an idea of size, the short black line in each drawing represents a hundredth of a millimetre.

Notice the one large spore per ascus in the Tuber. In basidiomycetes the spores develop on projections that grow out from microscopic cells called basidia , rather than being enveloped within cells. In most cases the basidia are elongated and club-like, though there is variation in shape. Commonly, each basidium has four projections and four spores - but some species may have just one projection and spore per basidium and others up to eight.

In most basidiomycetes the basidia have no dividing walls or septa , but in a small number of genera the basidia are septate. The projections from the basidia are called sterigmata singular: sterigma. Here are some drawings of basidia from various fungi. Some basidia are shown with spores, some have already released their spores. If you click on the camera icon, you will see a photo of the corresponding fruiting body. This gene is highly conserved and commonly used in phylogenetic studies so it was isolated from spores of each taxonomic group.

Using a molecular clock approach based on the substitution rates of SSU sequences, scientists were able to estimate the time of divergence of the fungi.

This analysis shows that all glomeromycetes probably descended from a common ancestor and million years ago, making them a monophyletic lineage. A long-held theory is that Glomeromycota were instrumental in the colonization of land by plants.

Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Search for:. Classifications of Fungi. Chytridiomycota: The Chytrids Chytrids are the most primitive group of fungi and the only group that possess gametes with flagella. Learning Objectives Describe the ecology and reproduction of chytrids.

Key Takeaways Key Points The first recognizable chytrids appeared more than million years ago during the late pre-Cambrian period. Like protists, chytrids usually live in aquatic environments, but some species live on land. Some chytrids are saprobes while others are parasites that may be harmful to amphibians and other animals. Chytrids reproduce both sexually and asexually, which leads to the production of zoospores. Chytrids have chitin in their cell walls; one unique group also has cellulose along with chitin.

Chytrids are mostly unicellular, but multicellular organisms do exist. Key Terms chytridiomycete : an organism of the phylum Chytridiomycota zoospore : an asexual spore of some algae and fungi flagellum : a flagellum is a lash-like appendage that protrudes from the cell body of certain prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells coenocytic : a multinucleate cell that can result from multiple nuclear divisions without their accompanying cytokinesis. Zygomycota: The Conjugated Fungi Zygomycota, a small group in the fungi kingdom, can reproduce asexually or sexually, in a process called conjugation.

Learning Objectives Describe the ecology and reproduction of Zygomycetes. Key Takeaways Key Points Most zygomycota are saprobes, while a few species are parasites. Zygomycota usually reproduce asexually by producing sporangiospores.

Zygomycota reproduce sexually when environmental conditions become unfavorable. To reproduce sexually, two opposing mating strains must fuse or conjugate, thereby, sharing genetic content and creating zygospores. The resulting diploid zygospores remain dormant and protected by thick coats until environmental conditions have improved.

When conditions become favorable, zygospores undergo meiosis to produce haploid spores, which will eventually grow into a new organism. Key Terms zygomycete : an organism of the phylum Zygomycota karyogamy : the fusion of two nuclei within a cell zygospore : a spore formed by the union of several zoospores conjugation : the temporary fusion of organisms, especially as part of sexual reproduction. Ascomycota: The Sac Fungi Most fungi belong to the Phylum Ascomycota, which uniquely forms of an ascus, a sac-like structure that contains haploid ascospores.

Learning Objectives Describe the ecology and the reproduction of Ascomycetes. Key Takeaways Key Points Ascomycota fungi are the yeasts used in baking, brewing, and wine fermentation, plus delicacies such as truffles and morels. Ascomycetes are filamentous and produce hyphae divided by perforated septa. Ascomycetes frequently reproduce asexually which leads to the production of conidiophores that release haploid conidiospores. The antheridium and the ascogonium combine in plasmogamy at the time of fertilization, followed by nuclei fusion in the asci.

In the ascocarp, a fruiting body, thousands of asci undergo meiosis to generate haploid ascospores ready to be released to the world.

Basidiomycota: The Club Fungi The basidiomycota are mushroom-producing fungi with developing, club-shaped fruiting bodies called basidia on the gills under its cap. Learning Objectives Describe the ecology and reproduction of the Basidiomycota.

The basidiomycota includes shelf fungus, toadstools, and smuts and rusts. Unlike most fungi, basidiomycota reproduce sexually as opposed to asexually.

Two different mating strains are required for the fusion of genetic material in the basidium which is followed by meiosis producing haploid basidiospores. Mycelia of different mating strains combine to produce a secondary mycelium that contains haploid basidiospores in what is called the dikaryotic stage, where the fungi remains until a basidiocarp mushroom is generated with the developing basidia on the gills under its cap.

Key Terms basidiocarp : a fruiting body that protrudes from the ground, known as a mushroom, which has a developing basidia on the gills under its cap basidiomycete : a fungus of the phylum Basidiomycota, which produces sexual spores on a basidium Basidiomycota : a taxonomic division within the kingdom Fungi: 30, species of fungi that produce spores from a basidium basidium : a small structure, shaped like a club, found in the Basidiomycota phylum of fungi, that bears four spores at the tips of small projections basidiospore : a sexually-reproductive spore produced by fungi of the phylum Basidiomycota.

Deuteromycota: The Imperfect Fungi Phylum Deuteromycota is a polyphyletic group of asexually-reproducing fungi that do not display a sexual phase; they are known as imperfect.