Septate hyphae are hyphae that are subdivided into individual cells by

• A. Transverse walls
• B. Longitudinal walls
• C. Small pores
• D. Cellular walls not dividing

Answer: (A)

Septate hyphae are built from cells that are separated by walls running across the filament. These cross walls, called septa, subdivide the hypha into individual compartments along its width. Many septa have pores that permit movement of cytoplasm and organelles between compartments, so growth and transport can continue even with the divisions. If there are no such walls, the hypha remains a continuous, coenocytic (aseptate) tube. The defining feature here is the transverse cross wall that creates the cell-like units; walls running along the length wouldn’t divide the filament into separate cells, and pores are part of the septa rather than the dividing mechanism itself.