Lawns are sometimes fertilized with nitrate that can be washed into neighboring woodlots by rain. If the trees in that woodlot are associated with EMF, what effect might the excess nitrate have on the fungi and/or trees?

a. Fungal growth may be stimulated, causing the trees to transport more nitrogen to the fungi.
b. The fungi may secrete more peptidases to break down the nitrate.
c. The trees may take up the nitrate directly into their roots and rely less on the fungi.
d. The excess nitrate may stimulate the fungi to transport more sugar to the trees.

Evaluate whether morels (ascomycetes) or bread molds (zygomycetes) are more closely related to mushrooms (basidiomycetes).

The hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form bushy structures after making contact with the plasma membrane of a root cell. What is the function of these structures?

a. They anchor the fungus inside the root, so the association is more permanent.
b. They increase the surface area available for the transfer of nutrients.
c. They produce toxins that protect the plant cells against herbivores.
d. They break down cellulose and lignin in the plant cell wall.

Explain how fungi help connect two major parts of the cycle: carbon fixation and carbon release.

Compare and contrast what happens inside a zygosporangium, a basidium, and an ascus.

Explain why it can be beneficial to inoculate seeds of crop plants with mycorrhizal fungi.

Explain the role of spores in fungal reproduction.

Explain how Glomeromycota can be beneficial to plants.

Explain how mold on a single piece of fruit can easily spread to nearby fruit.

Propose an experiment to test whether $Pilobolus$ shoots its sporangia preferentially toward light. Hypothesize why such a preference might be advantageous.

Explain the process of extracellular digestion that occurs during the growth of $Pilobolus$ mycelia through dung.

Would you describe the association between $Pilobolus$ and cows as a symbiotic relationship? Explain your answer.

Both asexual sporangia and zygosporangia can be found in cow dung. Make a simplified drawing that illustrates the events of plasmogamy, karyogamy, and meiosis that occur during sexual reproduction in $Pilobolus$. Be sure to indicate and label the zygosporangium.

$Pilobolus$ is a zygomycete, and the sporangia just described produce asexual spores. In contrast, which of the following best describes what happens during the sexual phase of its life cycle?

a. It produces eight ascospores in each ascus.
b. It produces basidiospores that grow into mushrooms.
c. It produces motile sperm and eggs.
d. Hyphae from two compatible mating types fuse and form a zygosporangium.