[Biology Class Notes] on Thallus Pdf for Exam

The thallus is a special part of the body of fungi. Due to the presence of cell walls, it is known as the plant body part of fungi. This is where the fungi is similar to plants. The main thing you can find in the thallus is the filaments. No specialized tissue is present in the thallus unlike advanced organisms like trees. It can be a tricky task for you to study the thallus meaning without knowing its structure. Here, you will know about the structure and role of the thallus in case of fungi. It is very important that you observe them while studying about different types of fungi.

Structural Description of Thallus

Thallus can also be called branched or unbranched filament. This has got cell walls, however, in the slime moles, it is absent. Here are the brief details about the different structures of thallus:

Unicellular Thallus

The unicellular thallus is mainly found in the lower fungi. It is spherical and unicellular. Thallus takes an important role in fungal reproduction. In the case of the holocarpic fungi, no reproductive and vegetative stages occur together. 

The unicellular thallus is also found in Plasmodium and yeast. For the latter, it relates to the filamentous thallus. If the thallus is present in the holocarpic and unicellular form, the mycelium of the thallus might be absent. 

Filamentous Thallus

When talking about fungi thallus, you can see a lot of fungi having filamentous thallus. This type of thallus develops as the spore germinates. While the germination takes place, the spore gets to a substratum. Here, all the conditions of life are favourable.

The short tubular structure develops in the case of some spores (in some species) and they directly get to the shape of the filamentous thallus. In these tubular structures, remains the thallus which is also known as hypha. The hypha is cottony and contains filaments. 

In advanced stages, The hypha filaments can develop the reproductive

 Organs For the Fungi.

This type of fungi is called eucarpic and some parts of the hypha manage the daily activities and the others indulge in the reproductive act. In most cases, the hype of the fungus is devoid of any colours mainly for those which remain on the substratum. The other part of the hype remaining in the aerial position can get some colours. You can find the tilts of yellow, brown, purple, red, and blue. 

The pigmentation, however, does not form the living matter. It is not related to fungus physiology. Pigmentation is a natural phenomenon that just takes place with time. 

Evolution of Thallus

There is an evolutionary process of the Thallus in fungi. Here, you can go through the details.

Aquatic fungi: all lower levels of fungi are aquatic and there is no mycelium in them. Mostly, the thallus is unicellular in this type of fungi. 

Reproduction Stages:

Arrangement of Filamentous Lower Fungi

The arrangement of filamentous lower fungi occurs in series. They live their life like an amphibian. These later take the shape of the weather mold. 

Did You Know?

Fungi have a lot of importance in human life. Some of the leading importance are given below:

Fungi Help Things to Decompose: Fungi is one of the primary organisms that help things to decompose real fast. It is good for the environment and mostly for the soil. 

Edible Fungi: Yeast and mushrooms are edible fungi. You can make some outstanding dishes with the help of mushrooms and yeast can be used as a fermentation agent. It is mainly used for softening pieces of bread. You should however make sure that the yeast is activated. 

Fungi-based medicines are present- Multiple medicines are produced on the basis of fungi. These variants of fungus are generally cultured in the office. 

Solved Examples

1. What is Thallus Made of?

Answer: The Thallus is made of cell plates and filaments. It is present in all the lower-level fungi. You can find the Thallus in the unicellular fungi and the multicellular ones too. These are found in the case of fungus which generates spores. 

2. What is the Work of Thallus?

Answer: The Thallus mainly works as the reproductive organ for fungi. It allows the organism to reproduce both asexually and sexually. The fungi can make colonies easily as the Thallus connects. 

3. Do Aquatic Fungi Have Spores?

Answer: No, the aquatic fungi do not have spores in them. As a result, the thallus in such organisms does not look the same as the amphibian fungi variants. 

4. What is Holocarpic Thallus?

Answer: When an entire thallus differentiates into a sporangium that enables the reproduction of fungi, it is known as Holocarpic Thallus.