Question 1

On a hike through the forest, you notice a circle of "mushrooms," each with a stalk, cap, and gills on the underside of the cap. If you dig into the soil below the ring, which of the following might you find?

Accepted Answer

A)  a net of fungal mycelia
B)  remnants of a decaying tree
C)  low-nutrient soil
D)  moist soil

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of spore production in fungi?

Accepted Answer

A)  Protected by their outer coats, spores can travel through inhospitable environments.
B)  Spores can travel over long distances and encounter new food sources (ones that cannot be accessed by the mycelium of the parent fungi) .
C)  Spores are often viable for long periods after their production, and they can be activated when environmental conditions are favorable.
D)  Because spores have a high rate of survival, fungi typically produce a small number of spores, thereby saving energy and resources.
E)  All of these choices are correct.

Question 3

How is karyogamy different from plasmogamy?

Accepted Answer

A)  Karyogamy is the fusion of nuclei, whereas plasmogamy is the fusion of cytoplasm.
B)  Karyogamy is the fusion of cytoplasm, whereas karyogamy is the fusion of nuclei.
C)  Karyogamy produces heterokaryotes, whereas plasmogamy produces zygotes.
D)  Karyogamy produces dikaryotic cells, whereas plasmogamy produces diploid cells.
E)  Karyogamy involves meiosis, whereas plasmogamy involves mitosis.

Question 4

What methods do fungi employ to disperse their spores?

Accepted Answer

A)  They can instruct plants to form "fake flowers," which attract pollinators that then disperse spores.
B)  They can produce pheromones similar to those of boars, which attract sows that disperse the spores.
C)  They can form fruiting bodies, which expel spores above "stagnant" air.
D)  They can highjack ants, creating "zombie ants" that die and are attached to leaves above the forest floor, enhancing the dispersal of spores released into the air.

Question 5

Which of the following represents the CORRECT order of events in fungal sexual reproduction starting from when hyphae of two different mating types grow together?

Accepted Answer

A)  plasmogamy  heterokaryotic stage  karyogamy  zygote  meiosis  spore production and dispersal  haploid mycelium
B)  spore production and dispersal  karyogamy  heterokaryotic stage  plasmogamy  zygote  meiosis  haploid mycelium
C)  spore production and dispersal  plasmogamy  heterokaryotic stage  karyogamy  zygote  meiosis  haploid mycelium
D)  karyogamy  heterokaryotic stage  plasmogamy  zygote  meiosis  spore production and dispersal  haploid mycelium
E)  heterokaryotic stage  plasmogamy  karyogamy  zygote  meiosis  haploid mycelium  spore production and dispersal

Question 6

If all of the fungi on Earth ceased to exist, what would happen to the local carbon cycle?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because fungi are photosynthetic, less CO2 would be removed from the atmosphere.
B)  Because fungi are decomposers, less CO2 would be released back into the atmosphere.
C)  Because fungi are photosynthetic, more CO2 would be removed from the atmosphere.
D)  Because fungi are decomposers, more CO2 would be released back into the atmosphere.

Question 7

Imagine that sexual reproduction could occur between hyphae that were the same mating type. How might this affect rates of evolution in fungi?

Accepted Answer

A)  Rates of evolution would be lower because genetic variation would be lower.
B)  Rates of evolution would be higher because more novel genetic combinations are generated through sexual reproduction.
C)  Rates of evolution would stay the same because as long as sexual reproduction is occurring, it does not matter if it is between individuals of the same or different mating type.

Question 8

Which of the following fungal structures aid in spore dispersal?

Accepted Answer

A)  fruiting bodies
B)  septa
C)  mycelia
D)  pores
E)  hyphae

Question 9

Crossing over during mitosis increases genetic diversity during:

Accepted Answer

A)  parasexuality.
B)  asexual reproduction.
C)  sexual reproduction.
D)  asexual reproduction and parasexuality only.
E)  sexual reproduction and parasexuality only.

Question 10

What is the primary reason that fungi are important in the carbon cycle?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fungi are able to reach incredibly large sizes, storing carbon while they are alive, and contributing carbon back to the atmosphere when they die and decompose.
B)  Fungi are able to reach incredibly large sizes. Their high ratio of surface area to volume allows them to decompose large amounts of dead/decaying material, thereby returning carbon to the atmosphere.
C)  Fungi are able to reach incredibly large sizes. They have a high ratio of surface area to volume and are able to fix more carbon through photosynthesis than other plants of comparable size.
D)  Fungi are able to reach incredibly large sizes. Their high ratio of surface area to volume allows them to store more carbon (in the form of sugar) obtained through mycorrhizal associations than their symbiotic hosts.

Question 11

Parasexuality is unique among eukaryotes. Parasexuality provides the benefits of sexual reproduction, without going through which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  karyogamy
B)  meiosis
C)  plasmogamy
D)  recombination

Question 12

If a special fungicide killed all of the glomeromycetes in an environment, but did not affect other types of fungi, which of the following would MOST likely occur?

Accepted Answer

A)  Plant nutrient uptake from the soil would be reduced.
B)  Overall decomposition rates would be dramatically reduced.
C)  Mushrooms would be absent from the environment.
D)  Lichens would be absent from the environment.
E)  Aquatic habitats would completely lack fungi.

Question 13

Fungi are more likely to "self-fertilize" because hyphal strands of the same individual are in close proximity to each other.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

The filaments that MOST fungi produce to absorb nutrients are called:

Accepted Answer

A)  root hairs.
B)  ectomycorrhizae.
C)  hyphae.
D)  chitins.
E)  fruiting bodies.

Question 15

The fungi are most closely related to:

Accepted Answer

A)  haploid protists, which are organisms that also have haploid nuclei.
B)  arthropods, which are organisms that also produce chitin.
C)  plants, which are organisms that also grow in the ground.

Question 16

Which of the following statements MOST accurately describes the anatomy of a multicellular fungus?

Accepted Answer

A)  Numerous hyphae make up a mycelium.
B)  Numerous mycelia make up a hypha.
C)  Numerous mycelia make up a fruiting body.
D)  Numerous fruiting bodies make up a mycelium.
E)  Numerous septa make up a hypha.

Question 17

Fungi are the most important decomposers of wood in the ecosystem.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

How are asci and basidia similar?

Accepted Answer

A)  Both are produced by glomeromycetes.
B)  Both are produced by chytrids.
C)  Both contain haploid (1n) spores.
D)  Both are contained within haploid (1n) fruiting bodies.

Question 19

Saprophytic (something that lives on dead and decaying material)  fungi are essential to life on Earth because they:

Accepted Answer

A)  grow in mycorrhizal association with the roots of most plants, providing minerals to the plants.
B)  speed the recycling of nutrients.
C)  help to digest sap in phloem of dead and dying trees.
D)  recycle organic compounds into inorganic compounds.
E)  respire like plants taking in CO2 and decrease greenhouse gasses.

Question 20

Which plant-fungal symbionts exchange nutrients with their host plant MOST efficiently?

Accepted Answer

A)  ectomycorrhizal symbionts
B)  endomycorrhizal symbionts
C)  endophytic symbionts

Exam 34: Fungi: Structure, Function, and Diversity

Which of the following statements MOST accurately describes the anatomy of a multicellular fungus?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How are asci and basidia similar?

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How is karyogamy different from plasmogamy?

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Imagine that sexual reproduction could occur between hyphae that were the same mating type. How might this affect rates of evolution in fungi?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Parasexuality is unique among eukaryotes. Parasexuality provides the benefits of sexual reproduction, without going through which of the following?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What methods do fungi employ to disperse their spores?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Saprophytic (something that lives on dead and decaying material) fungi are essential to life on Earth because they:

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Which of the following is NOT a benefit of spore production in fungi?

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If all of the fungi on Earth ceased to exist, what would happen to the local carbon cycle?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The filaments that MOST fungi produce to absorb nutrients are called:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Fungi are the most important decomposers of wood in the ecosystem.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the primary reason that fungi are important in the carbon cycle?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If a special fungicide killed all of the glomeromycetes in an environment, but did not affect other types of fungi, which of the following would MOST likely occur?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following represents the CORRECT order of events in fungal sexual reproduction starting from when hyphae of two different mating types grow together?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Fungi are more likely to "self-fertilize" because hyphal strands of the same individual are in close proximity to each other.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which plant-fungal symbionts exchange nutrients with their host plant MOST efficiently?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Crossing over during mitosis increases genetic diversity during:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The fungi are most closely related to:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

On a hike through the forest, you notice a circle of "mushrooms," each with a stalk, cap, and gills on the underside of the cap. If you dig into the soil below the ring, which of the following might you find?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following fungal structures aid in spore dispersal?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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