When growing conditions are favorable, the mycelium develops fruiting bodies, appearing as what we recognize as mushrooms or as other forms. These fruiting bodies will produce the new spores. These spores are usually produced by special modified cells at the end of the hyphe. Fungi can reproduce asexually by fragmentation . If the hyphe are broken, the pieces will grow into complete new organisms.
Yeasts reproduce by an asexual process called budding .
In this process, the yeast cell pinches itself off to produce a small offspring cell. This topic is covered in Day 2. Fungi act as parasites and feed on living things, usually doing some degree of harm. Parasitic fungi use enzymes to break down tissues. In return the host tree supplies the fungus with sugars, vitamins and other root substances.