Lab Topic 16
Fungal Diversity and Symbiotic Relationships

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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
Dissecting microscope 		1/student
1/student
MATERIALS  
Slides
Coverslips, glass medium square
Culturing kits
Insects, dead (for water mold) or Saprolegnia kit (CBS#15-5845)

(Be sure to start Saprolegnia culture several days before the lab.)
Rhizopus zygospore (CBS#15-5827)*
Mushroom farm (CBS#15-5883)*

Penicillium expansum (CBS#15-6150)*

Petri plates

Prepared slides (sharing possible to reduce costs)

Powdery mildew on lilac leaves (CBS#B249)*
Peziza section (CBS#29-7980)*
Coprinus mushroom, section of gills
Mycorrhiza and root sections (CBS#30-1952, 30-1964) demonstration
Lichen thallus section (CBS#29-8476)*

Fungi samples—puffballs, bracket, etc.
Lichen set (CBS#15-6400)*
Mushrooms, fresh edible button (grocery)
Peziza specimens (CBS#PB220)*

2/student
box/lab

1/lab


1/lab
1/lab

1/lab

24/lab

 

1/student
1/student
1/student
1/lab
1/student

large variety
1 set/lab
8 oz./lab
1/group

*Please refer to the Appendix for name and address of supplier.

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 thicknesses 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

  1. 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.
  2. Check out the links for this lab topic at http://auth.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/dolphin/ You will find useful materials for developing your lab introduction or summary, and in some cases, you may want to tell students to connect to a particular site for further information.

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: WCB/McGraw-Hill Publishers.

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.

A CD-ROM tutorial entitled Fungi is available from CyberEd at http://www.cyber-ed.com/