Name: An Overview of Kingdom Fungi
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 4 min 35 s
Description: This video discusses one of the five-kingdom of classification-Kingdom Fungi. It explains the features of the concerning kingdom in terms of cellular composition, mode of nutrition, etc.

Question

Briefly describe the life cycle of Rhizopus.

Accepted Answer

Phycomycetes or algal fungi are characterised by aseptate coenocytic hyphae. Phycomycetes is divisible into two groups, oomycetes and zygomycetes. Zygomycetes is conjugation fungi. Example: Rhizopus. It species have haploid mycelium, coenocytic hyphae. It reproduces both sexually and asexually.

1. Asexual reproduction :

The sporangiophores have sporangia and are formed directly from mycelium. The spores inside these sporangia are genetically identical (sporangiospores) because they are formed by mitotic divisions. These germinate asexually to form new mycelia.

2. Sexual reproduction:

Zygophores grow towards each other and gametangia are formed at their tips.

The two gametangia undergo the process of plasmogamy during which the two parent cells of fuse together without the fusion of nuclei, effectively bringing two haploid nuclei close together in the same cell which later is followed by karyogamy and leads to the formation of zygote.

Zygote is transformed into a thick walled zygospore and helps survive harsh environmental conditions.

On getting favourable conditions, the zygospore germinates into a sporangiophore which bears a sporangium. Sporangium contains numerous spores which germinate into mycelia.

Some spores will germinate in mating type + and some in mating-type -. These mycelia which are necessary for the initiation of the sexual process in heterothallic species but not in homothallic species, which are self-fertile.

Briefly describe the life cycle of Rhizopus.

Important Questions on Kingdom Fungi

Learn and Prepare for any exam you want !