Exam 34: Fungi: Structure, Function, and Diversity

A researcher is looking at different petri dishes that contain the yeast C. albicans. In the first dish she evaluates, she notices that the yeast do not form hyphae. Is this a mutant strain of yeast?

Many people can get an infection called ringworm, which isn't a worm but a fungus. The characteristic growth pattern is a circle on the infected portion of the skin. The edges of the circle tend to appear redder, or more irritated, than the center. Where did the infection begin?

One of the greatest advantages of sexual reproduction is the generation of variability.

In what ways are mycelia and fruiting bodies similar?

The _____ is a web of hyphae produced by a fungus in response to encountering a food source.

What structure is indicated by the arrow in this image? Photo credit: Carolina Biological Supply Company/Phototake

Yeasts are unicellular fungi that do not produce hyphae. However, they are descended from a common ancestor that did produce hyphae. Which of the following statements explains why yeasts do not produce hyphae?

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding fungal spores?

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding the sexual life cycle of basidiomycetes?

Mushrooms growing in your backyard are examples of _____, which are above-ground structures formed by fungi to disperse spores.

Why might endophytes be able to help protect trees from pathogens that infect their leaves?

Consider the phylogeny (Fig. 34.15) below. Imagine that the trait "complex multicellular fruiting bodies" actually was present in the common ancestor indicated by the arrow. What would its presence in the common ancestor mean for the evolution of fruiting bodies in the group Dikarya?

Lichens are able to obtain nutrients from their environment by:

Basidiomycetes are the only fungal group that produces lignin peroxidases, which are chemicals that can break down lignin and lignified tissues. Basidiomycetes growing within a fallen log would get less nutrition than ascomycetes because more of the cellulose in the log would be available to be broken down and absorbed.

Close observation of the fruiting bodies of cup fungi (ascomycetes) shows that when asci of cup fungi forcibly eject their spores up into the air, they tend do so in groups (i.e., many asci at once) instead of one at a time. Furthermore, spores released during one of these group events tend to go higher into the air than do spores released from a single ascus. This suggests that the simultaneous spore release by multiple asci is likely an adaptation that:

A researcher discovers a new species of fungi that forms hyphae, but not septa. This fungus also lacks multicellular fruiting bodies and does not appear to form either endomycorrhizae or ectomycorrhizae with plants. How should this fungus be classified?

During which of the following processes does the cytoplasm of two hyphal cells fuse to form a dikaryotic (n + n) cell?

Developing truffles produce a chemical that attracts what kind of organism for spore dispersal?

Which of the following statements CORRECTLY describes a difference between sexual reproduction and parasexuality?

Recall that the phloem sap of vascular plants moves through the phloem as a result of turgor pressure. How are nutrients transported through fungi?