Characteristics
What type of cells do fungi have?
Eukaryotic
What is the reproductive cell of fungi called?
Spore
Which fungi are called “sac fungi”?
Ascomycota
What is the main body of a fungus called?
Thallus
What do we call scientists who study fungi?
Mycologists
What do fungi use to absorb nutrients?
Hyphae / mycelium
Name ONE method of asexual reproduction.
Budding / fragmentation / spore formation
Which fungi include mushrooms and puffballs?
Basidiomycota
What is the thread-like structure that makes up fungi?
Hyphae
Name one area where mycologists can work.
Government / private companies / environmental work
What is the main material in fungal cell walls?
Chitin
Which type of reproduction creates genetic variation?
Sexual reproduction
Which fungi are commonly found on bread?
Zygomycota
What is the network of hyphae called?
Mycelium
What is one environmental use of fungi mentioned in mycology careers?
Bioremediation (cleaning pollution)
What type of nutrition do fungi use since they can’t make their own food?
Heterotrophic
What is the stage where two fungal cells join but nuclei stay separate?
Plasmogamy
Which fungi are the simplest and found mostly in water?
Chytridiomycota
What is the two-part naming system called?
Binomial nomenclature
Give ONE example of how fungi are important to humans in everyday life.
Food production (bread, cheese, beer, wine) OR medicine (penicillin)
What process do fungi use to break down food outside their body?
Extracellular digestion
What is the stage where nuclei fuse to form a diploid cell?
Karyogamy
Which fungi form relationships with plant roots to help absorb nutrients?
Glomeromycota
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, what does “cerevisiae” represent?
Species
Explain how fungi are important to both ecosystems and humans.
They break down dead material and recycle nutrients in ecosystems, and they also help humans through medicine (like antibiotics), food production, and environmental cleanup (bioremediation).