Are the Ascomycota unicellular or multicellular? What aspect of the Ascomycota's sexual reproductive cycle distinguishes them from other fungi? Describe the stages of the sexual reproductive cycle. What aspect of the Ascomycota's asexual reproductive cycle distinguishes them from other fungi?
Ascomycota, or sac fungi, range from unicellular yeasts to multicellular cap fungi. During sexual reproduction, all Ascomycota produce an ascus, a structure that is formed from the cell wall of the zygote and that contains four to eight haploid spores. The spores in an ascus are formed when two gametes, morphologically indistinguishable from each other, from hyphae of different sexes unite to produce a diploid zygote. The zygote undergoes meiosis to create four haploid cells; in some species, these four cells become the spores while, in others, the four cells undergo mitotic division to create eight spores. In addition, Ascomycota reproduce asexually. Many species grow specialized sporangiophores, called a conidiophores, that bear chains of spores, called conidia, on the exterior surface of their sporangia.
