Microbiology: A Human Perspective 7th Edition by Eugene Nester,Martha Nester,Denise Anderson, Evans Roberts

Exercise 2

Fungi have chitin in their cell walls and absorb nutrients after secreting digestive enzymes onto a food source. As saprophytes, they are important recyclers of carbon and other elements. Fungi can also form important relationships with other organisms, such as seen in lichens or mycorrhizas. Fungi may be single-celled yeasts or multicellular molds that grow by extending tubelike hyphae into a food source. They may reproduce sexually by fusion of hyphae of different mating types, or asexually by spores, budding, or fragmentation. Fungi cause significant plant diseases and food spoilage but also are a food source and are used in food production. Relatively few fungi cause human disease.
Describe fungal symbiotic relationships with algae, green plants, and insects, and explain how the relationships benefit each partner.