GORDON COLLEGE

College of Education, Arts and Sciences

Olongapo City sports Complex, Donor St., East Tpinac, Olongapo City 2200
Telefax No: (047) 602-7175

Title: Mycology

I. Introduction
Mycology is the discipline of biology that describes and studies a very vast group of organisms denominated
fungi. This group contains around 90,000 species, and thousands are described every year, being estimated that
there might be more than one million fungal species in the world, which makes the fungal kingdom one of the
most important in the tree of life.

II. . Learning Objectives

After learning the module, the students will be able to:
1. Explain the meaning of mycology
2. Classify the 4 phyla of fungi
3. Identify the characteristics and examples of each phyla.

III. . Topics and Key Concepts

Fungi (singular: fungus) are a kingdom of usually multicellular eukaryotic organisms that are heterotrophs
(cannot make their own food) and have important roles in nutrient cycling in an ecosystem. Fungi reproduce both
sexually and asexually, and they also have symbiotic associations with plants and bacteria.

The major divisions (phyla) of fungi have been classified based mainly on their sexual reproductive structures.
Currently, seven fungal divisions are proposed, but we will discuss only four of them in detail: the phyla
Zygomycota, Basidiomycota, Ascomycota, and Chytridiomycota.

1. Zygomycota: The Conjugated Fungi

The zygomycetes are a relatively small group of fungi belonging to the Phylum Zygomycota. They include the
familiar bread mold, Rhizopus stolonifer, which rapidly propagates on the surfaces of breads, fruits, and
vegetables. Most species are saprobes, living off decaying organic material; a few are parasites, particularly of
insects. Zygomycetes play a considerable commercial role. The metabolic products of other species of Rhizopus
are intermediates in the synthesis of semi-synthetic steroid hormones.

Zygomycota, or zygote fungi, is a former division or phylum of the kingdom Fungi. The members are now part
of two phyla the Mucoromycota and Zoopagomycota. Approximately 1060 species are known. They are mostly
terrestrial in habitat, living in soil or on decaying plant or animal material.
 Rhizopus stolonifer is commonly known as black bread mold. It is a member of Zygomycota and considered
the most important species in the genus Rhizopus. It is one of the most common fungi in the world and has a
global distribution although it is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions.

 Rhizopus oligosporus is a fungus of the family Mucoraceae and is a widely used starter culture for the
production of tempeh at home and industrially. As the mold grows it produces fluffy, white mycelia, binding
the beans together to create an edible "cake" of partly catabolized soybeans.
2. Basidiomycota: The Club Fungi
The fungi in the Phylum Basidiomycota are easily recognizable under a light microscope by their club-shaped
fruiting bodies called basidia (singular, basidium), which are the swollen terminal cell of a hypha. The basidia,
which are the reproductive organs of these fungi, are often contained within the familiar mushroom, commonly
seen in fields after rain, on the supermarket shelves, and growing on your lawn.

Basidiomycota Agaricus bisporus - Agaricus bisporus is an edible basidiomycete mushroom native to

grasslands in Europe and North America. It has two color states while immature – white and brown – both of
which have various names, with additional names for the mature state.

Coprinopsis cinerea - Coprinopsis cinerea is a species of mushroom in the family Psathyrellaceae. Commonly
known as the gray shag, it is edible, but must be used promptly after collecting.
 3. Ascomycota: The Sac Fungi

The majority of known fungi belong to the Phylum Ascomycota, which is characterized by the formation of an
ascus (plural, asci), a sac-like structure that contains haploid ascospores. Many ascomycetes are of commercial
importance. Some play a beneficial role, such as the yeasts used in baking, brewing, and wine fermentation, plus
truffles and morels, which are held as gourmet delicacies.

Ascomycota, also called sac fungi, a phylum of fungi (kingdom Fungi) characterized by a saclike structure, the
ascus, which contains four to eight ascospores in the sexual stage.

 Tuber melanosporum- Tuber melanosporum, called the black truffle, Périgord truffle or French black truffle, is a
species of truffle native to Southern Europe. It is one of the most expensive edible mushrooms in the world . The
fruiting bodies of the black truffle exude a scent reminiscent of undergrowth, strawberries, wet earth or dried fruit with
a hint of cocoa. Their taste, which fully develops after the truffles are heated, is slightly peppery and bitter.
 Scutellinia scutellata,  commonly known as the eyelash cup, the Molly eye-winker, the scarlet elf cap, the eyelash
fungus or the eyelash pixie cup, is a small saprophytic fungus of the genus Scutellinia. It is the type
species of Scutellinia, as well as being the most common and widespread. The fruiting bodies are small red cups
with distinct long, dark hairs or "eyelashes". These eyelashes are the most distinctive feature and are easily visible
with a magnifying glass.

4. Chytridiomycota: The Chytrids

The only class in the Phylum Chytridiomycota is the Chytridiomycetes. The chytrids are the simplest and most
primitive Eumycota, or true fungi. The evolutionary record shows that the first recognizable chytrids appeared
during the late pre-Cambrian period, more than 500 million years ago. Like all fungi, chytrids have chitin in their
cell walls, but one group of chytrids has both cellulose and chitin in the cell wall. Most chytrids are unicellular; a
few form multicellular organisms and hyphae, which have no septa between cells (coenocytic). They produce
gametes and diploid zoospores that swim with the help of a single flagellum.

Chytridiomycota- are a division of zoosporic organisms in the kingdom Fungi, informally known as chytrids.
The name is derived from the Greek chytridion, meaning "little pot", describing the structure containing
unreleased zoospores.
 Olpidium brassicae Olpidium brassicae is a common fungal parasite of the epidermal cells of plant roots,
especially plants in the family Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). Accurate taxonomic knowledge is the
foundation for further discussions and studies of pathogenicity and ecological role.
In general, O. brassicae and some of the related species, such as Olpidium bornovanus, are considered to be
vectors of viruses that can cause considerable damage to crops and, hence, loss of profits for growers. 

Synchytrium endobioticum- Synchytrium endobioticum is a chytrid fungus that causes the potato wart disease, or black
scab. It also infects some other plants of the genus Solanum, though potato is the only cultivated host.
 III. Teaching and Learning Materials and Resources
Activity sheet or module, pen, pencil, cellular phone, Laptop, Computer, Internet.

IV. Learning Task

1.) Give the benefits and harmful effects of Fungi.

2.) Make a table and differentiate every phylum, give at least one specie.
3.) Draw at least on specie of a Fungi and give the characteristic of it.

References:

https://www.sparknotes.com/biology/microorganisms/fungi/section1/#:~:text=Mushrooms%2C%20puffballs%2C
%20and%20shelf%20fungi,reproductive%20organ%20called%20the%20basidium.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878614618300813
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morchella
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2011/olbrantz_chri/classification.htm
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-wmopen-biology2/chapter/classifications-of-fungi/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuber_melanosporum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutellinia_scutellata
https://www.britannica.com/science/Ascomycota