Hyphae that lack septa are called:

Hyphae that lack septa are called:

• A. Septate hyphae
• B. Coenocytic hyphae
• C. Dikaryotic hyphae
• D. Monokaryotic hyphae

Answer: (B)

In fungi, hyphae can be septate or aseptate. When there are no cross-walls dividing the filament into cells, the hypha is coenocytic. This means the cytoplasm is a single, continuous tube with many nuclei scattered throughout. The term coenocytic specifically describes this lack of septa. Septate hyphae, by contrast, have internal walls that segment the filament into individual cells. The other terms—one describing having two nuclei in a cell (dikaryotic) and the other describing a single nucleus per cell (monokaryotic)—refer to nuclear status, not the presence or absence of septa, so they don’t define the hyphal structure in question.

In fungi, hyphae can be septate or aseptate. When there are no cross-walls dividing the filament into cells, the hypha is coenocytic. This means the cytoplasm is a single, continuous tube with many nuclei scattered throughout. The term coenocytic specifically describes this lack of septa.

Septate hyphae, by contrast, have internal walls that segment the filament into individual cells. The other terms—one describing having two nuclei in a cell (dikaryotic) and the other describing a single nucleus per cell (monokaryotic)—refer to nuclear status, not the presence or absence of septa, so they don’t define the hyphal structure in question.