Fungi imperfecti

Thesaurus

Noun

Fungi imperfecti - large and heterogeneous form division of fungi comprising forms for which no sexually reproductive stage is knownDeuteromycota, Deuteromycotina, subdivision Deuteromycota, subdivision Deuteromycotinadivision - (botany) taxonomic unit of plants corresponding to a phylumdivision Eumycota, Eumycota - true fungi; eukaryotic heterotrophic walled organisms; distinguished from Myxomycota (funguslike slime molds): comprises subdivisions Mastigomycotina; Zygomycotina; Ascomycotina; Basidiomycotina; Deuteromycotina (imperfect fungi)class Deuteromycetes, Deuteromycetes - form class; coextensive with subdivision DeuteromycotaMoniliales, order Moniliales - order of imperfect fungi lacking conidiophores of having conidiophores that are superficial and not enclosed in a pycnidiumMycelia Sterilia, order Mycelia Sterilia - order of imperfect fungi having no known spore stage

Fungi Imperfecti

[′fən‚jī ‚im·pər′fek‚tī] (mycology) A class of the subdivision Eumycetes; the name is derived from the lack of a sexual stage.

Fungi Imperfecti

(or Deuteromycetes), a class of higher fungi with a well-expressed branching multicellular mycelium. The fungi develop in a haploid state (haplophase), and reproduction is asexual, by means of conidia (spores). The life cycle for the most part does not include sexual stages characterized by formation of higher sporebearing forms. In many Fungi Imper-fecti the hyphae of the mycelium undergo anastomosis, which leads to the formation of heterokaryons—cells with genetically unlike nuclei. This causes recombination of genetic characters in the haploid state and extensive intraspecies variation with formation of new forms of the fungus.

The Fungi Imperfecti include approximately 30, 000 widely distributed species. They play an important ecological role: fungi populating the soil destroy plant and animal remains. Many Fungi Imperfecti are the causative agents of plant diseases; others form moldy deposits on food products and various industrial products. A number of Fungi Imperfecti, in particular Penicil-lium and Aspergillus (some species of these genera, which have perfect stages of sporebearing, are similar to the Ascomycetes), produce various such antibiotics as penicillin and griseofulvin, which are widely used in medicine. According to their type of sporebearing, the Fungi Imperfecti are divided into three orders —Hyphomycetes, Melanconiales, and Spheropsidales.

M. A. LITVINOV

Fungi imperfecti

Fun·gi Im·per·fec·ti

(fŭn'jī im'pĕr-fek'tī), A phylum of fungi in which sexual reproduction is not known or in which one of the mating types has not yet been discovered. Formerly, most fungi causing disease in humans were considered asexual and were placed in this class, but studies have revealed that many are not imperfect and that in their sexual forms they can be classified as ascomycetes or basidiomycetes. See: imperfect fungus.

Fun·gi im·per·fec·ti

(fŭng'gī im-pĕr-fek'tī) A phylum of fungi in which sexual reproduction is not known or in which one of the mating types has not yet been discovered.
Compare: imperfect fungus

Fungi imperfecti

Related to Fungi imperfecti: Deuteromycota, Mitosporic fungi, Imperfect fungi

noun

Synonyms for Fungi imperfecti

noun large and heterogeneous form division of fungi comprising forms for which no sexually reproductive stage is known

Synonyms

Deuteromycota
Deuteromycotina
subdivision Deuteromycota
subdivision Deuteromycotina

Related Words

division
division Eumycota
Eumycota
class Deuteromycetes
Deuteromycetes
Moniliales
order Moniliales
Mycelia Sterilia
order Mycelia Sterilia