Phyla, Ascomycota, Zygomycota, & Basidiomycota

Zygomycota may be more commonly as mold found on bread and fruits. They are both sexual and asexual; its main characteristic is zygospores. To reproduce sexually, two mating strains conjugate and create a zygospore. Zygospores are enclosed in a thick resistant cell wall that stores nutrients and reproduce sexually in a favorable environment. They live in terrestrial habitats, in soil or on plants or animals and obtain nutrients from decaying organisms. When the vegetative part of the fungus absorbs nutrients, it reproduces asexually producing sporangiospores. Although zygomycota has a negative impact on food, it’s also used to ferment some foods. Ascomycota fungi are the yeasts used in baking, brewing, and wine fermentation, they are important in cell biology, genetics, and producing penicillin. Ascomycota are characterized by its sac like structure the ascus, which contains ascospores where sexual reproduction takes place outside the structure. Asexual reproduction is conidia chains that break apart and float in the air or from budding. They are either single celled as yeast or filamentous as hyphae. Ascomycota play a major role as decomposers, they obtain nutrients from dead and living organisms and can consume any liquid that has water present. The majority of Basidiomycota is edible and is used to flavor cheeses, make medicines, soy and paper products. Mushrooms are the most common basidiomycota, and they can be found anywhere from the back yard to the forest. Some basidiomycota contribute to the carbon cycle by decomposing wood, they can also poisonous, cause allergies, and food spoilage. They also obtain their nutrients from dead plant organisms. Basidiomycota reproduce asexually by budding or sexually by the formation of basidiospores inside the structure. www.zygomycetes.org www.ascomycete.org www.britannica.com www.sparknotes.com/biology/microorganisms/fungi