Question

Coenocytic mycelium is characteristic feature of:
A. Phycomycetes
B. Ascomycetes
C. Basidiomycetes
D. Deteromycetes

Answer 1

Hint: The branched, tubular filamentous structures found in fungi are called mycelium. After reaching a certain stage, mycelium produces spores directly or by special fruiting bodies.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Coenocytic mycelium is a characteristic feature of phycomycetes. Phycomycetes are the most primitive kind of fungi. The members of phycomycetes are found in aquatic habitats. Phycomycetes are also found in most and damp places and a decayed wood. Phycomycetes is classified into two groups oomycetes and zygomycota. The mycelium in algal fungi is vegetative phase that lacks differentiations or branching of structure.

The mycelium is continuous mass and it grows terminally by apical elongation of hyphae. The growth in length is accompanied by the nuclear divisions by the increase in the number of nuclei. The aseptate, multinucleated mycelium is called coenocytic mycelium.

Except yeast, most of the fungi are filamentous structures in which the body consists of a long thread-like structure called hyphae. These are continuous tubes with multinucleated cytoplasm and are called coenocytic hyphae and form a structure called mycelium.

Therefore, from the above explanation the correct option is (A) Phycomycetes.

Note: The examples of phycomycetes are mucor, Pythium, albugo, rhizopus etc. Phycomycetes is called zygomycetes. The characteristic features of phycomycetes are,
i) Their hyphal wall is made of cellulose mosley and rarely chitin.
ii) Their reproduction can be heterogamous or isogamous.
iii) They are cosmopolitan and are found in air, soil, water, plants and animals.