Unikonts

Fungi & Slime Molds

Features

  • Single flagellum is visible (uni-kont means one flagellum)

    • Feature still present in ancient fungi, but lost in derived forms

  • Amoeba-like or algal-like with no flagella in derived fungi

Geologic Age

  • Possibly 1.2 billion year ago

Classification

Unikonta - single-flagellum organisms

├Amoebozoa: Amoeba-like organisms

└Slime molds (Mycetozoa)

└Opisthokonta: Fungi and Animals

├Chytrids (Chytridiomycota): Aquatic fungi

├Sugar molds (Zygomycota): Bread molds

├Club fungi (Basidiomycota): Mushrooms, Toadstools, Shelf fungi, etc.

└Sac fungi (Ascomycota): Morels, Truffles


Fungal forms (Incertae Sedis)

  • Lichens

  • Yeasts

  • Conidial Fungi

  • Mycorrhizae

Questions for Thought

  • What are some common plant diseases caused by chytrids?

  • What do the terms monokaryotic and dikaryotic mean, and how do they relate to the fungal life cycle?

  • Derived fungi have a haplontic life cycle. Where and when could you find a diploid cell?

  • What are mycorrhizae, and how does this relate to mushrooms you may find around a tree?