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Notes to Instructors
Chapter 31 Fungi
What is the focus of this activity?
What is this particular activity designed to do?
Activity 31.1 How diverse are the fungi in form and function?
This activity is designed to help students understand the basic characteristics of the
Answers
Activity 31.1 How diverse are the fungi in form and function?
1. a. What is the basic body plan of most fungi?
The body of most fungi is composed of filamentous hyphae that can aggregate to
b. Which fungi do not share this basic body plan?
2. Fungi may be said to have both plant-like and animal-like characteristics. What
plant-like characteristics do fungi have? What animal-like characteristics?
Like plants, the cells of fungi are surrounded by cell walls. Also, like many lower
220 Notes to Instructors
3.
4. Is it more correct to describe a mushroom as haploid or diploid? Explain.
The mushroom, or fruiting body, is for the most part a dikaryon; that is, the cells of
5. If you did not know that fungi were primarily terrestrial organisms, what structures
or features of the organisms would suggest that they were terrestrial?
With the exception of the chytrids, the fungi produce spores. The spores are resistant
6. a. In what ways are fungi important in an ecosystem?
b. In what ways are fungi important to humans?
On the negative side, many fungi are pathogens on humans, other animals, or
a. Into what five major phyla
(or divisions) is the kingdom
Fungi divided?
b. On what basis are these divisions made?
Phylum Chytridiomycota The chytridomycota are primarily aquatic, and,
unlike other fungi, their zoospores have flagella.
Activity 31.1 221
7. Lichens are symbiotic associations of a fungus, usually an ascomycete, and an alga,
usually a green algal species or a cyanobacterial species. Lichens can often survive
in harsh natural environments.
a. To what environmental conditions are lichens well adapted?
Lichens can be found in many environments, but the best-known lichen species
b. What makes them so well adapted to these conditions?
Neither the algae nor the fungus by itself appears able to withstand the severe
222 Activity 31.1
Patients with AIDS (caused by human immunodeficiency virus) often acquire
opportunistic infections. Imagine a patient with AIDS and two opportunistic infections—
a respiratory disease caused by a Mycobacterium and another disease caused by the
fungus, Candida. As the patient’s physician, you need to prescribe drugs to counteract
the infections.
Given the normal anatomical and functional characteristics of each disease organism,
what characteristics should a drug combination have to treat each of these three infections
while doing the least harm to the patient?
There are many possible ways to answer this question. One reasonable student answer is
provided here.
31.1 Test Your Understanding
Activity 31.1 223
