Exercise 16 - Fungi

STUDENT OBJECTIVE

The anatomy and life cycles of several representative fungi are studied. Slides of lichens and mycorrhizae are observed.

EQUIPMENT AMOUNT (Class of 24 with 8 groups)
Compound microscope 1/student
Dissecting microscope 1/student


MATERIALS

Slides 2/student
Coverslips, glass medium square box/lab
Culturing kits
Insects, dead (for water mold) or Saprolegnia kit (CBS#15-5845)* 1/lab
  (Be sure to start Saprolegnia culture several days before the lab.)
  Rhizopus zygospore (CBS#15-5827)* 1/lab
  Mushroom (CBS#15-5883)* 1/lab
     Penicillium expansum (CBS#15-6150)* 1/lab
Petri plates 24/lab
Prepared slides (sharing possible to reduce costs)
  Powdery mildew on lilac leaves (CBS#B249)* 1/student
  Peziza section (CBS#B255)* 1/student
  Coprinus mushroom, section of gills (Turtox #B273)* 1/student
  Mycorrhiza and root sections (CBS#B534 and B534A)* demonstration 1/lab
  Lichen thallus section (CBS#97-5200)* 1/student
Fungi samples--puffballs, bracket, etc. large variety
Lichen set (CBS#15-6400)* 1 set/lab
Mushrooms, fresh edible button (grocery) 8 oz/lab
Peziza specimens (CBS#PB220)* 1/group

SOLUTIONS

Pond water

PREPARATION

Two Months before Lab

An order for a ``mushroom farm'' should be placed so that it arrives one full month before the lab.

One Month before Lab

When the mushroom farm arrives, add the packaged material and water. Place the farm in a cool dark area and periodically check for adequate moisture.

Three to Four Days before Lab

  1. Inoculate the agar plates with the two mating types of Rhizopus; incubate at room temperature.

  2. Collect pond water to start a culture of water mold. Add a few dead insects to a petri dish and set aside in a dark corner at room temperature. Place several thickness of cheesecloth over the culture. (The culture will become putrid if too many insects are added.) Alternatively, a water mold culture kit can be ordered from Carolina Biological Supply.

CLASSROOM SUGGESTIONS

Many excellent slide sets and films are available and can be used to show fungal diversity. These could be placed in a rear projection, automatic projector (Caramate). If the library has a media center, a tape-slide show on reserve can provide a good out-of-class summary.

ANSWERS TO CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

  1. Suillus lakei may form an ectomycorrhizal association with the roots of the conifer.

  2. Consider possible union of two "like" hyphae resulting in the production of only one type of spore. Consider possible ectomycorrhizal association with uniform stand of forest (mixed boreal in this case) providing a large area for nutrient mobilization.
    --Larger fungi may exist; indeed, one said to be 607 hectares in size is located on Mount Adams in Washington state.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

Bio Sci II, videodisc--contains images of various fungi. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown Publishers. See appendix.
Bread Mold (Rhizopus), a 10-minute VCR showing asexual and sexual reproduction. Concord, NH: Essayo.
Fungi, 16-minute film. Rochester, NY: Ward's. #140W2070
The Fungi, 24-minute video filmstrip. Burlington, NC: Carolina Biological Supply. #49-8438
The Life of Fungi: Part I, slide set. Burlington, NC: REX Education Resources Comp. #K3520
Mushroom Growth and Reaction, film loop. Concord, MA: KALMIA Comp. #81-4509
Saprolegnia ferax, an 11-minute VCR showing asexual and sexual reproduction. Concord, NH: Essayo.

BACK