Structure and Function There are two general growth patterns among fungi. Yeasts are tiny fungi that live most of their lives as single cells. Mushrooms and other fungi grow much larger, their bodies made up of cells that form long, slender branching filaments called hyphae (HY fee; singular: hypha), as shown in Figure 21–16. In most fungi, cross walls divide the hyphae into compartments resembling cells, each containing one or two nuclei. In the cross walls, there are openings through which cytoplasm and organelles such as mitochondria can move.
What you recognize as a mushroom is actually the fruiting body, the reproductive structure of the fungus. The fruiting body grows from the mycelium (my SEE lee um; plural: mycelia), the mass of branching hyphae below the soil. Clusters of mushrooms are often part of the same mycelium, which means that they are actually part of the same organism.
Some mycelia live for many years and grow very large. The mycelium of the soil fungus in a fairy ring has grown so large that it has used up all of the nutrients near its center. It grows and produces fruiting bodies—the mushrooms—only at its edges, where it comes in contact with fresh soil and abundant nutrients.
In Your Notebook How do fungi differ from other multicellular organisms?
MYSTERY CLUE
Microscopic examination of infected tissue from blighted potatoes revealed a network of hyphae invading the cells of the plant. Could the blight organism be a fungus?
FIGURE 21–16 Structure of a Mushroom The body of a mushroom is actually its reproductive structure, also called a fruiting body. The major portion of the organism is the mycelium, which grows underground.
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Table of Contents
- Formulas and Equations
- Applying Formulas and Equations
- Mean, Median, and Mode
- Estimation
- Using Measurements in Calculations
- Effects of Measurement Errors
- Accuracy
- Precision
- Comparing Accuracy and Precision
- Significant Figures
- Calculating With Significant Figures
- Scientific Notation
- Calculating With Scientific Notation
- Dimensional Analysis
- Applying Dimensional Analysis