Fungal Nutrition

FUNGAL
NUTRITION
Prilya Dewi Fitriasari, M.Sc.

UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim
Malang 2017
Absorptive nutrition enables fungi to live as
decomposers and symbionts
• Fungi are heterotrophs that acquire nutrients by absorption
• Secrete hydrolytic enzymes and acids to decompose complex molecules into
simpler ones that can be absorbed
• Specialised into three main types:
• Saprobes - absorb nutrients from dead organic material
• Parasitic fungi - absorb nutrients from cells of living hosts; some are pathogenic
• Mutualistic fungi - absorb nutrients from a host, but reciprocate to benefit the host
• Fungi are heterotrophic in nutrition
• They are chlorophyll deficient plants and hence they cannot manufacture
carbohydrates using carbon dioxide, water and sunlight
• Fungi are with simple structural organization, thus they always depends on
dead or living organic matter for their energy requirements
• On the basis of mode of nutrition, fungi are classified into four groups:
(1). Saprophytes
(2). Parasites
(3). Symbionts
(4). Predacious fungi
(1). Saprophytes
• Saprophytic fungi obtain nutrition from dead

organic matter
• These fungi lives on dead organic matter or excreta Rhizopus (source wikipedia)
of both plant and animal origin

• Examples: Mucor, Rhizopus, Penicillium andAspergillus
• Vegetative hyphae of these fungi directly absorb
food materials from organic matter
• Saprophytic fungi may be of two types:-
(1). Ectophytic saprophytes: grown on the surface of organic matter
(2). Endophytic saprophytes: grown inside the organic matter
• In some ectophytic fungi such as Rhizopus, special absorptive structures
such as rhizoids are developed for the easy absorption of food
materials
• Saprophytic fungi produce exo-enzymes (enzymes which acts outside
the cell)
• These enzymes digest the complex organic matter in the substratum
into simpler compounds to facilitate easy absorption by the hyphae
Rhizopus infection in Jack-fruits (wikipedia)
(2). Parasites
• Parasitic fungi take food from other living plants or animals
• The living organism on which the fungi parasitize are called host
• Parasitic fungi are harmful to the host and they produce disease
condition in host organisms
• The relationship of host and parasite in pathology is known
as parasitism
• Parasitic fungi are of three types:
(1). Obligate parasites: these fungi can live only as parasite on a living
host. Obligate parasites cannot live on dead organic matter
Example: Puccinia which cause rust disease in several crop plants including wheat
(2). Facultative saprophytes: They are parasites, but they can also survive on
dead organic matter in the absence of living host
Example: Taphrina
(3). Facultative parasites: these fungi usually follow saprophytic mode of
nutrition
Rust Disease of Wheat by Puccinia
• Under certain conditions, they parasitize suitable host plants
• Example: Fusarium and Pythium which cause soft rot disease in crop plants
• On the basis of location of parasite in host organism, the parasites may be:
• Endoparasite: parasite live inside the host tissue
• Ectoparasite: parasite fungi which live on the outside surface of host
• Parasitic fungi possess specialized absorptive structures called haustoria for the
absorption of nutrients from the host cells
• Haustoria are specialized hyphal modifications
• Haustoria may be inter-cellular (occupy between two cells) in intra-cellular
(occupy within the cell)
• Size and shape of haustoria varies in different fungal groups
• Haustoria may be round, knob like, club like or branched
Haustoria of Parasitic Fungus (source wikipedia)

(3). Symbionts
• These fungi grow on or with other living organism but both of them are mutually
benefited
• Lichens and mycorrhiza are examples
• Lichens are the symbiotic association between algae and fungi, both fungi and algae
are mutually benefited
-Algae synthesize carbohydrates where as the fungi provides shelter for algae
• Mycorrhizae are the symbiotic association between fungi and roots of some higher
plants
-Mycorrhizae helps in the absorption of nutrients by the host plant
• Mycorrhiza may be ectophytic or endophytic
• Ectophytic mycorrhiza are external mycorrhiza and they are
confined to the outer region of the roots
• Endophytic mycorrhiza are internal mycorrhiza and they are
found deeply in the root cells
Foliose Lichen (source wikipedia) Amanita Mycorrhiza (wikipedia)
(4). Predacious fungi
• They are animal capturing fungi (predators)
• These types of fungi possess special hyphal traps called snares to tap and capture small
animals such as nematodes and protozoa
• They usually inhabit in the soil
• They possess rapidly constricting hyphal traps which hold the captive for long time
• They also have haustoria which directly inserted into the tissue of the prey
• Some predacious fungi also produce sticky secretions for capturing nematodes
• Examples of predator fungi: Arthrobotrys, Dactylella, Dactylaria
Hyphal modifications in fungi
• In majority of fungi, hyphae are simple
• In some advanced fungi, hyphae may undergo certain
modification in response to functional needs
• Hyphal modifications are hyphal aggregations are required to do
specific functions during the life cycle of fungi
(1). Prosenchyma
• Prosenchyma is formed by the loosely packed tissue like organization of
fungi
• Prosenchyma is formed when the component hyphae is arranged more or
less parallel to one another and the whole mass become a felt like structure
• The hyphae unite to form a loosely interwoven structure
• In prosenchyma, the individuality of fungal hyphae is not lost
• Prosenchyma is also known as Plectenchyma or Proso-plectenchyma
(2). Pseudo-parenchyma
• Here hyphae are closely intertwined and forms a tissue like structure in cross
section
• In pseudo-parenchyma, the hyphae lose their individuality and they are not
distinguishable from each other
• Pseudo-parenchyma resembles with the parenchyymatous tissue of higher
plants in cross section
• They are also called as Para-plectenchyma
(3). Rhizomorphs
• Rhizomorphs are thick strands or root like aggregation of somatic hyphae in some fungi
• They are also called as mycelial cords
• They are gelatinous, dark brown and rope like coiled structures
• In rhizomorphs the intertwining of hyphae is too tight so that hyphae loose its individuality
• Individual hyphae are arranged in parallel way
• Rhizomorphs has higher infection capacity than individual hyphae
• They are perennating structures with high penetration capacity
• Rhizomorphs survives for many years and they give rise new mycelia in the favourable conditions
(4). Sclerotium (Sclerotia)
• Sclerotia is a compact globose structure formed by the aggregation of
hyphae in some fungi
• The interwoven hyphae are very much compact so that the individuality of
hyphae is lost and the mass become rounded and cushion like structures
• Sclerotia survives for long periods, sometimes for many years
• They are the resting stage of some fungi
• They accumulate food materials and helps in vegetative reproduction
• Outer portion of sclerotia become dark brown, while the inner cells are
colourless
Ergot Sclerotium of Wheat (source wikipedia)

(5). Appressorium (appressoria)
• Appressorium is a terminal simple or lobed swollen structure of germ tubes
on infecting hyphae
• Appressorium is found on many parasitic fungi such as rusts and powdery
mildews
• It adheres to the surface of host and help in the penetrating of hyphae
• The infection peg is originated from the appressorium
(6). Haustorium (Haustoria)
• Haustoria are the intracellular absorbing structures of obligate parasites
• They are meant for absorbing food materials from the host tissue
• The size and shape of haustoria varies
• The shape may be knob like, elongated, finger like or branched
• They secrete some special enzymes which help in hydrolyzing proteins and
carbohydrates of host
(7). Stroma
• Stroma are compact somatic structures
• They are flat cushion like pseudoparenchymatous structures
• Fructifications are usually found on or in them
(8). Snares (Hyphal traps)
• Snares are trap like structures produced by predaceous fungi to capture small
animals such nematodes and protozons
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FUNGAL

Prilya Dewi Fitriasari, M.Sc.

• Saprophytic fungi obtain nutrition from dead

of both plant and animal origin

Haustoria of Parasitic Fungus (source wikipedia)

Ergot Sclerotium of Wheat (source wikipedia)

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