Question 1

Chitin is a long-chain polymer derived from glucose. It strengthens cell walls of fungi and the outer covering (exoskeleton) of arthropods (including crabs, shrimps, and insects). The presence of chitin in these groups is likely the result of which of the following processes?

Accepted Answer

A)  secondary endoparasitism 
B)  horizontal gene transfer 
C)  paraphyletic evolution 
D)  convergent evolution

Question 2

Which of the following statements accurately describes our current understanding of the phylogeny of fungi as represented in the figure?

Accepted Answer

A)  the zygomycetes are a basal taxon 
B)  basidiomycetes are more closely related to ascomycetes than they are to zygomycetes 
C)  basidiomycetes are more closely related to zygomycetes than they are to ascomycetes 
D)  glomeromycetes are a basal taxon

Question 3

The most important adaptive advantage associated with the filamentous nature of fungal mycelia is ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the ability to form haustoria and parasitize other organisms 
B)  the potential to inhabit almost all terrestrial habitats 
C)  the increased chance of contact between mating types 
D)  an extensive surface area well suited for invasive growth and absorptive nutrition

Question 4

Which of the following describes a similarity between fungi and arthropods?

Accepted Answer

A)  The haploid state is dominant in both groups. 
B)  Both groups are predominantly autotrophs that produce their own food. 
C)  Both groups use chitin for support. 
D)  Both groups have cell walls.

Question 5

Which of the following statements describes the relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic microorganism in a lichen?

Accepted Answer

A)  neither organism derives any benefit from the relationship 
B)  the fungus provides the photosynthetic microorganism a suitable environment for growth 
C)  the fungus fixes nitrogen for the photosynthetic microorganism 
D)  the photosynthetic microorganism helps the fungus retain minerals

Question 6

Some companies advertise and sell mycorrhizae to home gardeners and commercial farms, claiming that the presence of mycorrhizae improves plant growth and survival. If the company conducted experiments on plants with and without mycorrhizae, which of the following results would support their claim?

Accepted Answer

A)  smaller apple size in plants with mycorrhizae than in plants without mycorrhizae 
B)  increased production of corn ears in plants with mycorrhizae than in plants without mycorrhizae 
C)  increased need for fertilizer in plants with mycorrhizae than in plants without mycorrhizae 
D)  increased mortality in plants with mycorrhizae than in plants without mycorrhizae

Question 7

Which of the following characteristics would be most helpful in distinguishing among different species of fungi?

Accepted Answer

A)  morphology 
B)  hyphae structure 
C)  DNA sequence 
D)  life cycle

Question 8

Fungi produce many compounds that humans use medicinally. Which of the following statements best describes the evolution of these compounds in fungi?

Accepted Answer

A)  Humans used artificial selection to develop fungi that produced specific compounds. 
B)  The presence of the compounds in the fungi were accidentally produced and have no function. 
C)  The compounds probably provide a benefit to the fungi. 
D)  The compounds are produced as a result of sexual reproduction and recombination.

Question 9

You observe the gametes of a fungal species under the microscope and realize that they resemble animal sperm. To which of the following groups does the fungus belong?

Accepted Answer

A)  chytrids 
B)  zygomycetes 
C)  basidiomycota 
D)  ascomycota

Question 10

In the United States and Canada, bats have become infected by a fungus, Geomyces destructans. Many infected bats have a delicate, white filamentous mat on their muzzles, which is referred to as white-nose syndrome (WNS).
The G. destructans mat most likely consists of which of the following structures?

Accepted Answer

A)  hyphae 
B)  haustoria 
C)  yeasts 
D)  basidia

Question 11

Fungi have an extremely high surface-to-volume ratio. What is the advantage of this characteristic to an organism that gets most of its nutrition through absorption?

Accepted Answer

A)  The high ratio allows for more material to be acquired from the surroundings and transported through the cell membrane. 
B)  The lower volume prevents the cells from drying out too quickly, which can interfere with absorption. 
C)  This high ratio creates more room inside the cells for additional organelles involved in absorption. 
D)  This high ratio means that fungi have a thick, fleshy structure that allows the fungi to store more of the food it absorbs.

Question 12

It has been hypothesized that fungi and plants have a mutualistic relationship because plants make sugars available for the fungi's use. What is the best evidence in support of this hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fungi survive better when they are associated with plants. 
B)  Radioactively labeled sugars produced by plants eventually show up in the fungi with which they are associated. 
C)  Fungi associated with plants have the ability to undergo photosynthesis and produce their own sugars, while those not associated with plants do not produce their own sugars. 
D)  Radioactive labeling experiments show that plants pass crucial raw materials to the fungus for manufacturing sugars.

Question 13

Diploid nuclei of the ascomycete Neurospora crassa contain 14 chromosomes. A single diploid cell in an ascus will undergo one round of meiosis, followed in each of the daughter cells by one round of mitosis, producing a total of eight ascospores. How many chromosomes would a single ascospore nucleus of this species contain?

Accepted Answer

A)  7 chromosomes 
B)  14 chromosomes 
C)  21 chromosomes 
D)  28 chromosomes

Question 14

Fungi and plants evolved during the same time period. What combination of environmental and morphological change is similar in the evolution of both fungi and plants?

Accepted Answer

A)  presence of "coal forests" and change in mode of nutrition 
B)  periods of drought and presence of filamentous body shape 
C)  predominance in swamps and presence of cellulose in cell walls 
D)  colonization of land and loss of flagellated cells

Question 15

Which of the following statements accurately describes our current understanding of the phylogeny of fungi as represented in the figure?

Accepted Answer

A)  the chytrids are a basal taxon 
B)  zygoomycetes are more closely related to ascomycetes than they are to glomeromycetes 
C)  basidiomycetes are more closely related to zygomycetes than they are to ascomycetes 
D)  glomeromycetes are a basal taxon

Question 16

Use the following information to answer the question.
For the past several decades, amphibian species worldwide have been in decline. A significant proportion of the decline seems to be due to the spread of the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Chytrid sporangia reside within the epidermal cells of infected animals, animals that consequently show areas of sloughed skin. The infection cycle typically takes four to five days, at the end of which zoospores are released from sporangia into the environment.
When adult amphibian skin harbors populations of the bacterium Janthinobacterium lividum, chytrid infection seems to be inhibited. Which of the following is the best experimental design to test whether this inhibition is actually due to the presence of J. lividum?

Accepted Answer

A)  Inoculate uninfected amphibians with J. lividum and determine whether the amphibians continue to remain uninfected by chytrids. 
B)  Inoculate infected amphibians with J. lividum and determine whether the amphibians recover from infection by chytrids. 
C)  Take infected amphibians and assign them to two populations. Leave one population alone; inoculate the other with J. lividum. Measure the rate at which infection proceeds in both populations. 
D)  Take infected amphibians and assign them to two populations. Inoculate one population with a high dose of J. lividum; inoculate the other with a low dose of J. lividum. Measure the survival frequency in both populations.

Question 17

If you wanted to use fungi to improve the environment, which of the following research goals would make the most sense?

Accepted Answer

A)  Discover the lignin-digesting enzymes of fungi, and use them to digest plant tissues left over from food-crop residues to reduce landfill waste. 
B)  Discover the enzymes that the fungal partner in lichens uses to break down rock so that large rock expanses can be turned into agricultural lands. 
C)  Discover the enzymes that fungi use to break down plant matter and use them to increase decomposition rates in order to slow global warming. 
D)  Develop a strain of fungus that produces enzymes that absorb oxygen and will help slow global warming.

Question 18

Which of the following experimental designs would allow a researcher to determine the effect of mycorrhizae on plant growth?

Accepted Answer

A)  measure and compare the growth of two different plants that both have mycorrhizae associated with their roots 
B)  measure and compare the growth of two different plants, one of which has had antifungal substances added to it and one that has not 
C)  measure and compare the growth of two different plants that do not have mycorrhizae associated with their roots 
D)  measure and compare the growth of two different plants, one of which has had antibiotics have been added to it and one that has not

Question 19

Truffles are the fruiting bodies of certain fungi whose mycelium grows below ground. The truffle is also underground and can be detected by many mammals, which eat the truffle and expel the spores with their feces. Which of the following statements is likely accurate with respect to this interaction?

Accepted Answer

A)  The truffle spores are probably wind dispersed. 
B)  Truffles produce an odor that mammals can detect and find attractive. 
C)  Truffles probably produce toxins that can harm the mammals that eat them. 
D)  Truffle fruiting bodies are important in decomposition of wood.

Question 20

When pathogenic fungi are found growing on the roots of grape vines, grape farmers sometimes respond by covering the ground around their vines with plastic sheeting and pumping a gaseous fungicide into the soil. Which of the following results might be a concern for the grape farmers who engage in this practice?

Accepted Answer

A)  fungicide might also kill the native yeasts residing on the surfaces of the grapes 
B)  lichens growing on the vines' branches are not harmed 
C)  fungicide might also kill mycorrhizae 
D)  sheeting is transparent so that photosynthesis can continue

Exam 31: Introduction to Fungi

Chitin is a long-chain polymer derived from glucose. It strengthens cell walls of fungi and the outer covering (exoskeleton) of arthropods (including crabs, shrimps, and insects) . The presence of chitin in these groups is likely the result of which of the following processes?

Which of the following statements accurately describes our current understanding of the phylogeny of fungi as represented in the figure?

The most important adaptive advantage associated with the filamentous nature of fungal mycelia is ________.

Which of the following describes a similarity between fungi and arthropods?

Which of the following statements describes the relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic microorganism in a lichen?

Some companies advertise and sell mycorrhizae to home gardeners and commercial farms, claiming that the presence of mycorrhizae improves plant growth and survival. If the company conducted experiments on plants with and without mycorrhizae, which of the following results would support their claim?

Which of the following characteristics would be most helpful in distinguishing among different species of fungi?

Fungi produce many compounds that humans use medicinally. Which of the following statements best describes the evolution of these compounds in fungi?

You observe the gametes of a fungal species under the microscope and realize that they resemble animal sperm. To which of the following groups does the fungus belong?

Fungi have an extremely high surface-to-volume ratio. What is the advantage of this characteristic to an organism that gets most of its nutrition through absorption?

It has been hypothesized that fungi and plants have a mutualistic relationship because plants make sugars available for the fungi's use. What is the best evidence in support of this hypothesis?

Fungi and plants evolved during the same time period. What combination of environmental and morphological change is similar in the evolution of both fungi and plants?

Which of the following statements accurately describes our current understanding of the phylogeny of fungi as represented in the figure?

If you wanted to use fungi to improve the environment, which of the following research goals would make the most sense?

Which of the following experimental designs would allow a researcher to determine the effect of mycorrhizae on plant growth?