Reading: Fungi

Vocab

Saprophyte: organism that lives on dead organic matter, as certain fungi and bacteria
Septum: cell wall division between hyphae of a fungus
Hypha: a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus that is the main mode of vegetative growth
Mycelium: the vegetative part of any fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, threadlike hyphae, often underground
Chitin: a complex polysaccharide, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, found in the exoskeletons of arthropods and in the cell walls of fungi; thought to be responsible for some forms of asthma in humans
Karyogamy: the fusion of two nuclei within a cell
Sporangium: a case, capsule, or container in which spores are produced by an organism
Gametangium: an organ or cell in which gametes are produced that is found in many multicellular protists, algae, fungi, and the gametophytes of plants
Plasmogamy: stage of sexual reproduction joining the cytoplasm of two parent mycelia without the fusion of nuclei
Homothallic: male and female reproductive structures are present in the same plant or fungal mycelium
Spore: a reproductive particle, usually a single cell, released by a fungus, alga, or plant that may germinate into another