Video Transcript
The Venn diagram provided shows
some key characteristics of the phyla of the kingdom fungi. What characteristic could replace
X? (A) Reproducing by
regeneration. (B) Spores produced by asexual
reproduction only. (C) Reproducing by binary
fission. (D) Spores produced by asexual or
sexual reproduction. Or (E) cell membrane containing
peptidoglycan.
This question shows us a Venn
diagram, then asks us to fill in some missing information. A Venn diagram is a tool used to
compare and contrast different topics. The blue circle contains facts
about Zygomycota. The green circle contains facts
about Ascomycota. The red circle contains facts about
Basidiomycota.
Zygomycota, Ascomycota, and
Basidiomycota are all different phyla within the fungus kingdom. Where the circles overlap, the
information must be true for each circle it is within. For example, in the middle of the
diagram where all three circles overlap, the information is true about organisms in
all three phyla.
All fungi are eukaryotic,
heterotrophic, and have cell walls containing chitin. The missing information represented
by X should be true of Zygomycota and of Ascomycota but not true of Basidiomycota,
because it is in the blue circle and the green circle but not in the red circle.
Many fungi use spores to
reproduce. Zygomycota produce spores inside
sporangia. Ascomycota produce spores inside
asci. Basidiomycota produce spores on a
structure called a basidium. The spores produced by
Basidiomycota are generally made using sexual reproduction. In contrast, the spores produced by
Zygomycota and Ascomycota can be produced sexually or asexually.
So, now we can choose the
characteristic that could replace X. It is spores produced by asexual or
sexual reproduction.
