Question

Parasexual cycle occurs in
(a) Phycomycetes
(b) Deuteromycetes
(c) Ascomycetes
(d) Basidiomycetes

Answer 1

It occurs mostly as saprophytes on a wide range of substrates, but a large number of them are parasites on plants and animals (including humans) and cause a variety of diseases. It reproduces only asexually. It occurred mostly in those fungi called ‘Fungi imperfecti’.

Complete answer:
Parasexuality was first discovered in Aspergillus nidulans. In the Deuteromycetes, the parasexual cycle process takes place and it is single-celled organisms. This process happens in the fungi which can reproduce asexually. During this process, events like the fusion of the protoplasm, fusion of the nucleus, and haploid cell formation take place.

Additional information:
- Deuteromycetes abundantly occur in the soil where they play a vital role in the decomposition of organic matter and thus bring about recycling of nutrients in nature.
- Some deuteromycetes fungi are medicinally very important. The wonder drug penicillin is commercially acquired from Penicillium chrysogenum for convenience, while P. griseofulvin is the source of the production of griseofulvin antibiotics.
- The utilization of deuteromycetes fungi in fermentation is essential to the point that without them there would be no such fermentation industry all things considered in their essence. Many new and novel chemical compounds are obtained from these fungi at the industrial level.
- The conidiophores are formed to be more specialized in a large number of Deuteromycetes, and it organizes fruiting layers present within the specialized fruiting bodies called conidiomata.
So the correct answer is ‘(b) Deuteromycetes’.

Note: Deuteromycetes are used for their capacity of biochemical synthesis and conversions, for example, that of steroids which are of incredible importance in drugs. An enormous number of deuteromycetes fungi are serious plant pathogens and are liable for causing a variety of plant diseases bringing in great economic losses. Numerous Deuteromycetes additionally cause diseases like mycoses, ringworm, and so forth in people.