A fungus has following characteristics
• Mycelium is septate
• Reproduces by the formation of conidia
• Sexual stage is absent in the life cycle
To which class, this fungus belongs?
A Zygomycetes B Deuteromycetes C Basidiomycetes D Ascomycetes
Answers
The fungi, Deuteromycetes has all the given characteristics.
- They have been termed as imperfect fungi as they do not fit well into the classification of fungi.
- However, they are classified as fungi for the following reasons:
1. They have multicellular tissue that has similarity with hyphae of club fungi and sac fungi.
2. They have asexual spores referred to as conidiophores, which have similarity with that of club fungi and sac fungi.
B) Deuteromycetes
Explanation:
Deuteromycetes are not perfect fungi; they do not fit into the commonly established taxonomic classifications of fungi because their sexual form of reproduction has never been observed. The somatic body is characterized by the production of septate mycelium and branched hyphae. They reproduce asexually by conidia. The penicillin mold, the fungus that causes athlete's foot, and the fungus that causes root rot and damping off in plants are deuteromycetes. The deuteromycetes do not form a natural phylogenetic grouping.
Option B is the answer.