Phylum Ascomycota
➔ Massive group commonly known as stack fungi. Rarely do sexual reproduction, many reproduce
vegetatively or mitotically.
◆ —> Sexual structures are called ascocarps which produce ascospores.
◆ Ascospores are haploid and they produced in little sac like structures
◆ The hymenial structures are on the surface of the “fairy cup” fruiting bodies
➔ Thousand more species than Basidiomycota
➔ Sexual recombination is relatively rare, some never reproduce sexually
➔ Ecologically very diverse; saprotrophs, lichens, plant pathogens, endophytes, mycorrhizal
symbionts, animal and human pathogens
➔ In terms of the holomorphic concept, Ascomycota are mostly doing asexual reproduction. Some
taxa can have more than one anamorphic stage in which we call it synanomorph
Hyphae and Septation in Ascomycota
➔ The Ascomycota have simple pores with Woronin bodies
➔ The hyphae in Ascomycota are the same as hyphae in basidiomycota
➔ Ascomycota have a simple septa with just one little open pore
◆ Pores are closed off with woronin bodies
◆ Woronin bodies are crystalline protein, dense structures, and multiple woronin bodies in
every hyphae compartment
◆ They are no there all the time, usually hand out in the cytoplasm, they are present in cases
of trauma
◆ If they hyphae are injured, they close off the pores
Cellular Structure
➔ Cell walls are the same as Basidiomycota
➔ The only difference is that the outer and inner layers of the cell participate in separate processes.
◆ Some parts grow in different rates which leads to different morphologies
Phylogeny of Ascomycota
➔ Pezizomycotina
◆ Biggest group, lichen forming fungi
➔ Saccharomycotina
◆ Yeasts, only one class
➔ Taphrinomycotina
◆ Basal group that have morphologies that are hyphael and yeast like
*Lifecycle*
General Types of Ascocarps
● Apothecium
○ Broad, flat, dish-shaped
● Perithecium
○ Small vessel/container, flask shaped
, ● Cleistothecium
○ Closed dense aggregate of hypae mycelia tissue around ascus
○ 3D spheres
● Gymnothecium
○ Has lots of hyphael growth around the ascospores
○ Less organized than Cleistotecium
● Chasmothecium
○ Basically a cleistothecium that opens up when hyphae dries up
● Pseudothecium
● Ostiothecium
○ Catathecium
○ Thyriothecium
■ Both have opening at the top called an ostiole, typically found on leaf surface
■ Only difference is that thyriothecium has no bottom surface
Types of Ascospores
● Amerospores - single celled
● Didymospores - septate, bicellular
● Phragmospores - multiseptate
● Dictyospores - uncommon in asci, common in asexual phases, also called dictyosporic
phragmospores
● Scolecospores - long spores, septate in various ways
*Lichen Structure*
Basic Gross Morphologies
● Leprose - powdery mass without any clear structure
● Crustose - thin crust; prothallus (actively growing margin); may differ in colour
○ Aerolate (divided into islands by cracks)
○ Placodioid (lobes or scales at prothallus)
● Squamulose - minute overlapping scales attached along one margin
● Foliose - leaf-like, with upper surface bearing photoautotrophic layer and reproductive structures;
lower surface may produce rhizines. Flattened leaf-like, with distinct upper and lower surfaces
● Fruticose - attached to substrate at one point only, branching or shrubby
● Cladoniform - primary thallus may be squamulose or granulose, developing erect spike or
tree-shaped podetia bearing reproductive structures
*Thallus Differentiation*
*Types of Paraphyses*
*Types of Asci*
*The Lifecycle of Budding Yeasts*
➔ Massive group commonly known as stack fungi. Rarely do sexual reproduction, many reproduce
vegetatively or mitotically.
◆ —> Sexual structures are called ascocarps which produce ascospores.
◆ Ascospores are haploid and they produced in little sac like structures
◆ The hymenial structures are on the surface of the “fairy cup” fruiting bodies
➔ Thousand more species than Basidiomycota
➔ Sexual recombination is relatively rare, some never reproduce sexually
➔ Ecologically very diverse; saprotrophs, lichens, plant pathogens, endophytes, mycorrhizal
symbionts, animal and human pathogens
➔ In terms of the holomorphic concept, Ascomycota are mostly doing asexual reproduction. Some
taxa can have more than one anamorphic stage in which we call it synanomorph
Hyphae and Septation in Ascomycota
➔ The Ascomycota have simple pores with Woronin bodies
➔ The hyphae in Ascomycota are the same as hyphae in basidiomycota
➔ Ascomycota have a simple septa with just one little open pore
◆ Pores are closed off with woronin bodies
◆ Woronin bodies are crystalline protein, dense structures, and multiple woronin bodies in
every hyphae compartment
◆ They are no there all the time, usually hand out in the cytoplasm, they are present in cases
of trauma
◆ If they hyphae are injured, they close off the pores
Cellular Structure
➔ Cell walls are the same as Basidiomycota
➔ The only difference is that the outer and inner layers of the cell participate in separate processes.
◆ Some parts grow in different rates which leads to different morphologies
Phylogeny of Ascomycota
➔ Pezizomycotina
◆ Biggest group, lichen forming fungi
➔ Saccharomycotina
◆ Yeasts, only one class
➔ Taphrinomycotina
◆ Basal group that have morphologies that are hyphael and yeast like
*Lifecycle*
General Types of Ascocarps
● Apothecium
○ Broad, flat, dish-shaped
● Perithecium
○ Small vessel/container, flask shaped
, ● Cleistothecium
○ Closed dense aggregate of hypae mycelia tissue around ascus
○ 3D spheres
● Gymnothecium
○ Has lots of hyphael growth around the ascospores
○ Less organized than Cleistotecium
● Chasmothecium
○ Basically a cleistothecium that opens up when hyphae dries up
● Pseudothecium
● Ostiothecium
○ Catathecium
○ Thyriothecium
■ Both have opening at the top called an ostiole, typically found on leaf surface
■ Only difference is that thyriothecium has no bottom surface
Types of Ascospores
● Amerospores - single celled
● Didymospores - septate, bicellular
● Phragmospores - multiseptate
● Dictyospores - uncommon in asci, common in asexual phases, also called dictyosporic
phragmospores
● Scolecospores - long spores, septate in various ways
*Lichen Structure*
Basic Gross Morphologies
● Leprose - powdery mass without any clear structure
● Crustose - thin crust; prothallus (actively growing margin); may differ in colour
○ Aerolate (divided into islands by cracks)
○ Placodioid (lobes or scales at prothallus)
● Squamulose - minute overlapping scales attached along one margin
● Foliose - leaf-like, with upper surface bearing photoautotrophic layer and reproductive structures;
lower surface may produce rhizines. Flattened leaf-like, with distinct upper and lower surfaces
● Fruticose - attached to substrate at one point only, branching or shrubby
● Cladoniform - primary thallus may be squamulose or granulose, developing erect spike or
tree-shaped podetia bearing reproductive structures
*Thallus Differentiation*
*Types of Paraphyses*
*Types of Asci*
*The Lifecycle of Budding Yeasts*
