Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumKingdom Fungi: Moulds, Yeasts, and Mushrooms

Members of Kingdom Fungi display diverse structural forms ranging from microscopic unicellular yeasts to filamentous moulds. Which pair of characteristics is shared by both unicellular yeasts (*Saccharomyces*) and multicellular moulds (*Rhizopus*)?

  1. Cell walls composed of chitin and carbohydrate storage in the form of glycogenAnswer
  2. B
    Cell walls composed of cellulose and carbohydrate storage in the form of starch
  3. C
    Presence of photosynthetic pigments and autotrophic synthesis of organic food
  4. D
    Holozoic ingestion of solid organic particles followed by intracellular digestion

Answer

Cell walls composed of chitin and carbohydrate storage in the form of glycogen
All members of Kingdom Fungi, regardless of whether they are unicellular (yeasts) or multicellular filamentous structures (moulds and mushrooms), share fundamental cellular and biochemical traits: their cell walls are constructed primarily of chitin (a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine) and they store surplus carbohydrates in the form of glycogen.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key biochemical and structural features defining Kingdom Fungi.
Fungi possess cell walls containing chitin and store energy as glycogen, distinct from plants (cellulose/starch).
These biochemical markers are universal across both unicellular (yeasts) and multicellular (moulds, mushrooms) fungal groups.
2
Evaluate the nutritional mode of fungi.
Fungi are heterotrophs performing extracellular saprophytic digestion rather than photosynthesis or holozoic ingestion.
Eliminating options proposing autotrophic nutrition or intracellular digestion.

Key Concept

Shared structural and biochemical characteristics of Kingdom Fungi
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Kingdom Fungi: Moulds, Yeasts, and Mushrooms

More questions from this topic