Classification of fungi

1. Classification of fungi
Sankrita Gaonkar
Assistant Professor in Botany
sankrita002@gmail.com

2. Contents
• Chytridiomycota
• Zygomycota
• Ascomycota
• Basidiomycota
• Glomeromycota
• Deuteromycota
• Economic importance
• References

3. Phylum: Chytridiomycota
• Class: Chytridiomycetes (Chytrids)
General characteristics
• Simplest and most primitive true fungi
• Majority are aquatic, many are parasites
• Uniflagellate reproductive cells – whiplash type
• Holocarpic thallus
• Advance species – rhizoids or rhizomycelium present - eucarpic
• Cell wall – chitin, ꞵ-glucan
• Reproduction – asexual (sporangia – zoospores), sexual (isogamous,
anisogamous)
• Eg. Synchytrium

4. Phylum: Zygomycota
• Class: Zygomycetes (conjugated fungi)
General characteristics:
• Terrestrial molds – bread molds
• Most are saprobes – soil saprophytes and coprophilous
(growing on dung)
• Few are parasites
• Young hyphae – aseptate, old hyphae – septate
• Cell wall – chitin
• Motile cells absent
• Reproduction – asexual (non-motile sporangiospores),
sexual (gametangial copulation - zygospores)
• Eg. Rhizopus

5. Phylum: Ascomycota
• Class: Ascomycetes (sac fungi)
General characteristics:
• Majority are terrestrial – saprophytic or parasitic
• Coprophilous species
• Unicellular yeast, filamentous molds, mushroom-like
• Thallus – septate hyphae
• Motile cells absent
• Fruiting body – ascocarp - ascospores – asci (sing. ascus)
• Reproduction: asexual (non-motile conidia), vegetative
(budding- yeast), sexual (plasmogamy)
• Eg. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus
Aspergillus

6. Phylum: Basidiomycota
• Class: Basidiomycetes (club fungi)
General characteristics:
• Most advanced fungi
• 15,000 species and 500 genera
• Saprophytic and parasitic
• Mushrooms
• Motile cells absent, mycelium septate
• Fruiting body – basidiocarp – basidia (sing. basidium) –
basidiospores
• Reproduction – asexual (conidia, oidia), sexual (plasmogamy,
karyogamy)
• Eg. Puccinia, Agaricus
Agaricus
Puccinia

7. Phylum: Glomeromycota
• Class: Glomeromycetes
General characteristics:
• Newly established phylum
• Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungi – symbiotic association between
fungus and plant roots
• Obligate symbionts
• Coenocytic mycelium
• Reproduction – asexual (spore)
• Eg. Glomus

8. Phylum: Deuteromycota
• Class: Deuteromycetes (imperfect fungi)
General characteristics:
• Saprophytes and parasites
• Commonly known as molds
• Septate mycelium – profusely branched
• Reproduction – asexual only – conidia
• Eg. Alternaria
Leaf blight

9. Economic importance
• Medicine – antibiotics (Penicillin from Penicillium,
Streptomycin from Streptomyces), Aspergillus
• Industry – Alcoholic fermentation (yeast), enzyme
preparation (Digestin, Polyzime, Taka diastase –
dextrinization of starch and desizing textile), cheese
industry (cheese molds for refining cheese)
• Agriculture – negative role – cause diseases – damping
off, potato blight, downy mildew, rust disease
Positive role – biofertilizers (AM fungi)

10. References
• Vashishta B.R., Sinha A.K. and Singh V.P. 2012. Botany for
degree students: Algae. S. Chand & company ltd.