Explain why fungi that degrade dead plant materials are important to the global carbon cycle. Do you accept the text's statement that, without these fungi, 'Terrestrial environments would be radically different than they are today, and probably much less productive'? Why or why not?

Comparisons of ribosomal RNA among many different modern species indicate that

a. There are two very divergent groups of prokaryotes

b. The Protista represents a conglomeration of very unrelated forms

c. Fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants

d. A and B are correct

e. A, B, and C are correct

Identify at least two events in the cell cycle that must be completed successfully for daughter cells to share an identical complement of chromosomes.

The Greek root ecto means 'outer.' Why are ectomycorrhizal fungi, or EMF, aptly named?

a. Their hyphae form tree-like branching structures inside plant cell walls.

b. They are mutualistic.

c. Their hyphae form dense mats that envelop roots but do not penetrate the cell walls.

d. They transfer nitrogen from outside their plant hosts to the interior.

The grass Dichanthelium lanuginosum lives in hot soils and houses fungi of the genus Curvularia as endophytes. Researchers tested the impact of Curvularia on the heat tolerance of this grass. They grew plants without (E−) and with (E+) Curvularia endophytes at different temperatures and measured plant mass and the number of new shoots the plants produced. Draw a bar graph for plant mass versus temperature and interpret it.

Data from R. S. Redman et al., Thermotolerance generated by plant/fungal symbiosis, Science 298:1581 (2002).

Evaluate each of the following defects. Which could lead to uncontrolled growth in cancer? Select True or False for each statement. T/FThe overexpression of MPF activity. T/FA nonfunctional Rb protein. T/FThe overexpression of G1 cyclin. T/FA nonfunctional E2F protein.

Lignin and cellulose provide rigidity to the cell walls of plants. But in most fungi, chitin performs this role. Why is it logical that most fungi don't have lignin or cellulose in their cell walls?

Fungi feed by

a. Producing their own food with the help of sunlight

b. Chasing and capturing other living organisms

c. Growing on their food source and secreting chemicals to break it down

d. Filtering bacteria out of their surroundings

e. Producing spores

Under a microscope, a piece of a mushroom would look most like

a. Jelly.

b. A tangle of string.

c. Grains of sugar or salt.

d. Foam.