Syllabus
Position, function and forms of fungi in ecosystems.
Fungi and their roles in ecosystems. Spores, hyphae, mycelium, haustoria, appressorium, mycelial strands, rhizomorphs, sirotium, sclerotia, stroma. Plectenchyma, prosenchyma, pseudoparenchyma. Hyphae - four different zones. Types of apical zones.
Fungi and environmental condition. Influence of physical factors.
Light. Phototrophic species, positive and negative phototropism. Light-dark cycles. Forms in the dark. Temperature. Psychrophilic, thermophilic, psychrotolerant, thermotolerant fungi. Mesophiles. Water availability. Water activity, water potential. Xerophilic, xerotolerant, osmophilic, osmotolerant, hygrophilic fungi. Hydrogen ion concentration. Acidophilous species. Acidic and alkaline conditions. Aeration. Strict aerobes to facultative anaerobes. Obligate and facultative fermenters. Effect of nutrition.
Requirement of nutrients and growth of slime molds × fungi.
Phagocytosis, pinocytosis. Assimilative absorptive phase. Growth curve. Interspecific interactions: commensalism, symbiosis, competition, antagonism, metabiosis, parasitism, mutualism. Obligate saprotrophic and parasitic fungi, facultative saprotrophic and parasitic fungi. Plant-biotrophic and necrotrophic fungi and their hosts.
Autecology, synecology.
Movements and chorology of fungi.
Tropisms, taxis. Physical movements (hygroscopic, cohesive). Fructification, fairy rings. Spore dispersal. Chorology of fungi: anemo-, hydro- and zoochory. Competition, competitors, ecological niche, strategies, selection, evolution. Areals, individuum, populations, colonies, cultures, subcultures. Adaptability and succession.
Saprotrophs.
Degradation of natural substrata. Colonization of woody tissues. Litter-decomposing and woody-decomposing fungi. Hydrolysis of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, chitin. Different types of wood rot. Fungal endophytes. Composting.
Parasites.
Fungi ×slime molds, fungi, (plants), invertebrates, animals, human. Mycoparasitism.
Myxomyceticolous and fungicolous fungi, hyperparasitism. Nematode-trapping fungi and their mechanisms. Dermatomycosis, systemic mycosis.
Mutualistic symbionts.
Fungi and animals. Mycophagous organisms. Ambrosia fungi and bark beetles. Mycorrhizal symbiosis. Mycorrhizal types. Endomycorrhizas: vesicular-arbuscular, ericaceous, orchidaceous. Ectomycorrhizas. Ectendomycorrhizas: arbutoid, monotropoid. Lichenism. Photobiont, mycobiont.
Some important habitats and their fungal communities.
Fungal communities and substrat succession on leaves, needles, litter, remains of microfauna and animals. Phylloplane fungi, phyllosphere. Autochtonous, exochtonous fungi. Coprophilous, keratinophilic fungi. Anthracophilous (phoenicoid), nematophagous fungi. Fungi of extreme environments. Fungi in nests. Aquatic (freshwater, marine) fungi. Fungi of soil and rhizosphere. Soil fungistasis.
Changes of mushrooms mycoflora as result of environmental pollution. Bioindication.
Annotation
Please note, the lectures are given in Czech language only. Basic informations from ecology applied to fungi and fungal organisms.
Students are made familiar with the status, function, and forms of the occurrence of fungi in ecosystems. The influence of individual physical factors is considered, as are the various requirements of fungi concerning of nutrition and growth.
Competition, ecological niche, strategy, selection, evolution. Special attention is paid to natural and extreme sites.
Movements of fungi, chorology, fructification, areas, bioindications. Mechanism of nematophagous fungi etc.