Fungi
Definition
What’s fungi? It’s a type of mushroom, yes or no?
The answer to the above question is fungi (singular: fungus) are a kingdom of usually multicellular eukaryotic organisms that are heterotrophs (cannot make their own food) and have important roles in nutrient cycling in an ecosystem.
Amusingly, Fungi reproduce both sexually and asexually, and they also have symbiotic associations with plants and bacteria. However, they are also responsible for some diseases in plants and animals. The study of fungi is known as mycology.
Introduction
The fungi (singular, fungus) include several thousand species of eukaryotic, spore-bearing organisms that obtain simple organic compounds by absorption. The organisms have no chlorophyll and reproduce by both sexual and asexual means.
Did you know? The fungi are usually filamentous, and their cell walls have chitin. The study of fungi is called mycology, and fungal diseases are called mycoses.
Fungus
Classification
How we classified the fungi? Is it by the shape? Color?
Fungi are usually classified in four divisions: the Chytridiomycota (chytrids), Zygomycota (bread molds), Ascomycota (yeasts and sac fungi), and the Basidiomycota (club fungi).
Placement into a division is based on the way in which the fungus reproduces sexually. Zygomycota. Members of the division Zygomycota are known aszygomycetes. Zygomycetes produce sexual spores known as zygospores (Figure below), as well as asexual sporangiospores.
Figure: Sexual reproduction in the mold Rhizopus stolonifer. Plus and minus mycelia produce sexually opposite hyphae that fuse and give rise to zygospores, which germinate to form new mycelia.
Characteristics
Did you know that fungi are such an interesting and unique microorganism?
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Eukaryotic
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Aerobic or facultative anaerobic
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Chemo-heterotrophic
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Require low pH, low moisture content
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Singe cell (yeast) or multicellular
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Secrete antibiotics
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Cell wall composed of chitin
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Cell membrane contain sterol, glucan
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Reproduce by sexual & asexual spores
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Some are internal or external parasites; a few are predators that capture prey
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Non-motile
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Lack true roots, stems, & leaves
Common Examples:
Mucor
Aspergillus
Rhizopus
Penicilium
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Ecology (habitat)
The discovery of the ecological benefits of fungi that can make to the surrounding as listed above:
Fungi and photosynthesizers
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Lichens and mycorrhizae are two examples of mutualistic relationships between fungi and other organisms
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Mutualism is a type of symbiosis where both organisms benefit from the relationship
Lichens
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Provide a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an alga or a photosynthetic partner
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A green algae or cyanobacterium provides food for both organisms
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The fungus provides a web of hyphae in which the algae or cyanobacterium cam grow
Ecology (habitat)
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Penicillium notatum
- used as a source of penicillin
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Claviceps purpurae
- used to reduce high blood pressure
- to promote contractions during birth
- to treat migraine headaches
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Tolypocladium inflatum
- the sources for cyclosporine
- Cyclosporine is an immune suppressant drug