Asexual reproduction in zygomycetes, like Rhizopus , produces a growth pattern resembling that of the strawberry. Long hyphae called stolons run along the surface of their food, periodically sinking down root-like projections called rhizoids . Long stalks called sporangiophores arise from the stolons, bearing tiny round sporangia , which break open to release spores . The mushroom-like fruiting body is called an ascocarp. They reproduce asexually by means of special hyphae called conidiophores, which fragment to produce thousands of tiny spores called conidia.
Yeasts form tiny buds that break off and grow into larger cells.
Sexual reproduction in this Division involves conjugation, with the two nuclei fusing together at the tip of a hypha to form a nucleated sac called an ascus. Meiosis creates 4 haploid nuclei, which divide again by mitosis to form the characteristic 8 ascospores. Ergot fungi of the genus Claviceps infests rye bread and other grains. All by itself, this little fungus has altered the course of human history in areas like Russia where it is widespread. People eating infected rye bread were thought to have been possessed by the devil, because of their wild dancing and uncontrolled behavior.