The hypha of rhizopus is said to be non-septate because it

Analyze the question: The question asks why the hypha of Rhizopus (bread mould) is described as "non-septate".

Explain the concept: The word septate comes from septum, which means a partition or cross wall. Fungal hyphae fall into two types:

• Septate hyphae have cross walls (septa) dividing the hypha into separate cells, e.g. Penicillium and Aspergillus.
• Non-septate (aseptate or coenocytic) hyphae have no cross walls. The hypha is one continuous tube containing many nuclei in shared cytoplasm, e.g. Rhizopus and Mucor.

Solution:

• A. Lack of chlorophyll is true of all fungi, but it has nothing to do with septation. ❌
• B. "Has no cross wall" is the definition of non-septate. ✅
• C. Being vacuolated does not decide whether a hypha is septate. ❌
• D. Storing oil globules is a food storage feature and is unrelated to septa. ❌

Answer: The hypha of Rhizopus is non-septate because it has no cross wall.

Exam tip: Break the word down. "Non" means without and "septate" refers to septa (cross walls), so non-septate means "without cross walls". Remember that Rhizopus and Mucor are non-septate, while Penicillium and Aspergillus are septate.