Question

The imperfect fungi which are the decomposers of litter and help in mineral cycling belong to
A. Ascomycetes
B. Deuteromycetes
C. Basidiomycetes
D. Phycomycetes

Answer 1

An artificial group of fungi, of which there exist approximately fifteen thousand species, often referred to as “fungi imperfect” because their only known reproductive mechanism is asexual.

Complete answer: Deuteromycetes are the imperfect fungi which include all those fungi in which the sexual stage is either absent or not known. Some of the members are saprophytes or parasites while most of them are decomposers of litter and help in the cycling of minerals. E.g., Colletotrichum, Helminthosporium, etc. The Deuteromycetes, commonly called molds, are “second-class” fungi that have an unknown sexual state in their life cycle, so reproduce only by producing spores with the help of mitosis, This asexual state is also known as the anamorph state. Only their asexual form of reproduction is known, so it means that these fungi produce their spores asexually, by the process called sporogenesis. Other, more informal names are Deuteromycota and fungi imperfect are anamorphic fungi or mitosporic fungi, but these are terms without taxonomic rank. Deuteromycota is referred to as form-phylum because the divisions within the group are based on morphology and not on their common phylogenetic background. Some hyphae may recombine and form heterokaryotic hyphae. Genetic recombination is known to take place between the different nuclei. Imperfect fungi have a very huge impact on the everyday life of humans.
So, the correct option is B

Note: Deuteromycetes, also called anamorphic fungi, fungi (kingdom Fungi) in which a true sexual state is uncommon or unknown. The Conidial stages are similar to those in the phylum Ascomycota, but those of some species show affinities to lower fungi and the phylum Basidiomycota.