Chapter 29.2, Problem 3LO

Summary Introduction

To describe: The life cycle of a typical fungus, including asexual and sexual reproduction.

Introduction: Fungi reproduce by producing spores. This can be done either asexually or sexually. The spores are formed by the fruiting body. Spores are the reproducing body of the fungi that develops into new organism. Spores are non-motile and hence, they are dispersed by wind or air. These spores when landed on the food source develop hyphae that penetrate into the food source to absorb nutrition. These hyphae then develop into mycelium, which then grow to form fruiting body. Asexual reproduction occurs by budding spores that are formed in conidiophores and the spores are called conidia. Sexual reproduction takes place by fusion of haploid nuclei, where the cytoplasm from the two different fungi comes together.