What is the difference between oomycetes and ascomycetes

Mycelia of different mating strains can combine and produce a secondary mycelium that contains haploid nuclei of two different mating strains. This is the dikaryotic stage of the basidiomyces lifecyle and and it is the dominant stage. Eventually, the secondary mycelium generates a basidiocarp , which is a fruiting body that protrudes from the ground—this is what we think of as a mushroom. The basidiocarp bears the developing basidia on the gills under its cap.

Imperfect fungi—those that do not display a sexual phase—use to be classified in the form phylum Deuteromycota , , a classification group no longer used in the present, ever-developing classification of organisms. While Deuteromycota use to be a classification group, recent moleclular analysis has shown that the members classified in this group belong to the Ascomycota or the Basidiomycota classifications.

Since they do not possess the sexual structures that are used to classify other fungi, they are less well described in comparison to other members. Most members live on land, with a few aquatic exceptions. They form visible mycelia with a fuzzy appearance and are commonly known as mold.

Some hyphae may recombine and form heterokaryotic hyphae. Genetic recombination is known to take place between the different nuclei. The fungi in this group have a large impact on everyday human life. The food industry relies on them for ripening some cheeses. The blue veins in Roquefort cheese and the white crust on Camembert are the result of fungal growth. The antibiotic penicillin was originally discovered on an overgrown Petri plate, on which a colony of Penicillium fungi killed the bacterial growth surrounding it.

Other fungi in this group cause serious diseases, either directly as parasites which infect both plants and humans , or as producers of potent toxic compounds, as seen in the aflatoxins released by fungi of the genus Aspergillus. The Glomeromycota is a newly established phylum which comprises about species that all live in close association with the roots of trees. Fossil records indicate that trees and their root symbionts share a long evolutionary history.

It appears that all members of this family form arbuscular mycorrhizae : the hyphae interact with the root cells forming a mutually beneficial association where the plants supply the carbon source and energy in the form of carbohydrates to the fungus, and the fungus supplies essential minerals from the soil to the plant.

The glomeromycetes do not reproduce sexually and do not survive without the presence of plant roots. Although they have coenocytic hyphae like the zygomycetes, they do not form zygospores. DNA analysis shows that all glomeromycetes probably descended from a common ancestor, making them a monophyletic lineage. Chytridiomycota chytrids are considered the most primitive group of fungi.

They are mostly aquatic, and their gametes are the only fungal cells known to have flagella. They reproduce both sexually and asexually; the asexual spores are called zoospores. Zygomycota conjugated fungi produce non-septated hyphae with many nuclei. Their hyphae fuse during sexual reproduction to produce a zygospore in a zygosporangium.

Ascomycota sac fungi form spores in sacs called asci during sexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction is their most common form of reproduction. Basidiomycota club fungi produce showy fruiting bodies that contain basidia in the form of clubs.

Spores are stored in the basidia. Most familiar mushrooms belong to this division. Fungi that have no known sexual cycle were classified in the form phylum Deuteromycota, which the present classification puts in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Glomeromycota form tight associations called mycorrhizae with the roots of plants. Skills to Develop Classify fungi into the five major phyla Describe each phylum in terms of major representative species and patterns of reproduction.

This chytrid causes skin diseases in many species of amphibians, resulting in species decline and extinction. Protein was detected in the cultural medium of eleven of the test isolates, and these fungi significantly degraded CWs over the day duration of the experiment.

In general, a greater level of CW degradation occurred for F. Fungi that degraded F. Production of extracellular protein was highly correlated with CW degradation. The terrestrial members of Zygomycetes are mainly saprotrophs and some are coprophilous, growing on dung. Parasitic species including pin molds infect other fungi, insects or protozoa. Some of them are obligate parasites on other members of Zygomycetes. In higher plants, they are facultative weak parasites.

Figure 2: Pin Mold on Peach. Generally, the fungal hyphae of Zygomycetes are non-septate but, old hyphae may contain septa. This class forms septa while forming reproductive structures and sealing off injuries. One of the main characteristic features of Zygomycetes is the absence of motile cells in the life cycle. The asexual spores known as sporangiospores or mitospores are produced inside sporangia.

Furthermore, Zygomycetes has economic importance as they are used to ferment food items and to produce enzymes, acids, etc. Oomycetes refer to a subclass of parasitic of saprophytic fungi class Phycomycetes that includes water molds, white rusts, and downy mildew while zygomycetes refer to a wide variety of common fungi in which sexual reproduction is by the formation of zygospores.

Thus, this is the main difference between Oomycetes and Zygomycetes. Oomycetes are often known as water molds as this type of fungi prefer water while Zygomycetes are a type of terrestrial fungi living in soil or on decaying plant or animal material.

Hence, this is another difference between Oomycetes and Zygomycetes. Also, one other difference between Oomycetes and Zygomycetes is that Oomycetes can be either unicellular or filamentous while Zygomycetes are filamentous. Furthermore, the cell wall of Oomycetes is made up of cellulose while the cell wall of zygomycetes is made up of chitosan.

Besides, the vegetative state of Oomycetes contains diploid nuclei while the vegetative state of Zygomycetes contains haploid or dikaryotic nuclei. So, this is also a difference between Oomycetes and Zygomycetes.