Do you like mushrooms? And did you know that mushrooms are not like the apples or bananas you eat? Did you know that mushrooms are actually living organisms and we know that bananas and apples are not? And have you ever seen a mold? Maybe on some food, like the bread? Or do you know why baked goods rise while baking? It is because of the yeast we add to the dough!
Mushrooms, yeasts, and molds, all have something in common. They are part of a group of organisms called FUNGUS.
Today we are going to learn about FUNGUS, and we will discuss
The fungi are different from animals and plants, they are a separate kingdom of living things. Fungi are organisms that eat organic material.
Fungi include microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. Other examples of fungi are rusts, stinkhorns, puffballs, truffles, and mildews. There are approximately 1.5 million different species of fungi on Earth.
They are found in just about any habitat but most live on the land. They live mainly in soil or on plants and trees. Even if they grow from the ground just like plants, they are not plants. There are many differences between them. For example, the main difference is that plants make their food, through the process of photosynthesis, while fungi don't perform the process of photosynthesis to make their own food. They get their food from other living things. So that is why they do not need any sunlight to grow, like the plants. And that is why you can see fungi growing up even in dark places. And they are not like the animals, either. They can not move to search for their food. So how do fungi feed? They are soaking up dead plants and animals from the soil/surface they grow on.
Fungi can be found everywhere and in very large numbers. Apart from the soil, they can be found in the air, seas, lakes, and rivers. They also live on and within animals and plants, in the human body, clothing, food, etc.
1. Fungi may be:
2. Fungi are:
3. They reproduce by means of spores.
The majority of fungi can reproduce both asexually and sexually. This allows them to adjust to conditions in the environment. They can spread quickly through asexual reproduction when conditions are stable. Both types of reproduction result in the release of spores.
Fungal spores are microscopic biological particles that allow fungi to perform the process of reproduction, which serve a similar purpose to that of seeds in the plant world. These spores are often present in the air and soil.
4. Fungi exhibit the phenomenon of alternation of generation. What does that mean?
Alternation of generations is a type of life cycle found in terrestrial plants and some algae in which subsequent generations of individuals alternate between haploid (an organism that has only a single set of chromosomes) and diploid organisms (an organism that has paired chromosomes, one from each parent). This can be contrasted to sexual reproduction in animals, in which both haploid and diploid cells are found in every generation.
5. Fungi lack chlorophyll (the natural compound present in green plants which helps them to absorb energy from the sun to be able to perform the process of photosynthesis) and hence cannot perform photosynthesis (a process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar).
6. Fungi help in the breaking down and removal of dead organic matter.
Fungi are decomposers, together with some bacteria and invertebrates such as worms and insects. Decomposers have the ability to break down dead organisms into smaller particles and create new compounds.
Fungi decompose organic matter by releasing enzymes. Enzymes break down the decaying material. After this, fungi absorb the nutrients in the decaying material.
Fungi together with bacteria fill an essential role in nature by decomposing complex organic compounds and returning their minerals to the soil and gases to the air, thus making them available for the next generation of plants and animals and ensuring the continuous natural cycle of life. It has been estimated that fungi recycle millions of tons of organic waste annually.
Fungi are usually classified into four divisions:
This kingdom of fungi is distinguished by having zoospores (motile cells) with a single, posterior, whiplash structure (flagellum). The size of these species is microscopic. They are mostly found in wet soils and in freshwater. Most are parasites of animals and algae. Some live on organic debris as saprobes. Saprobes are a group of fungi that act as decomposers.
The identifying characteristic of the Zygomycota is the formation of a zygospore during sexual reproduction. Zygospore is a diploid reproductive stage in the life cycle of many fungi, which are created by the nuclear fusion of haploid cells. Another characteristic of Zygomycota is the lack of hyphal cell walls except in reproductive structures.
A common example of this group is the black bread mold. This mold spreads over the surface of bread and other food sources, sending hyphae (tiny filaments that make up the structure of multicellular fungi) inward to absorb nutrients.
They are fungi that produce microscopic spores inside special, elongated cells or sacs, known as 'asci', which give the group its name. Ascomycetes are called sac fungi. Most fungi belong to this group. Some of them are edible as mushrooms, and some of them live in a symbiotic association as lichens and mycorrhiza. Common examples of ascomycetes include yeast, powdery mildews, cup fungi, truffles, Penicillium, Candida, Claviceps, etc.
The Basidiomycota are mushroom-producing fungi with developing, club-shaped fruiting bodies called basidia on the gills under their cap. More specifically, this kingdom includes these groups: mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, bracket fungi, as well as, other polypores.
Penicillin, a medicine that fights bacterial infection, is released by strains of the mold Penicillium. It is used to treat infections caused by bacteria.
Fungi can cause a variety of conditions. Most of them affect the nails or skin, causing rashes or other skin conditions, but some can cause more serious infections. Fungi can cause meningitis, blood infections, and lung infections.
Fungi are all around us. Their microscopic spores of fungi can be found on the ground and in the air. Even if most of these fungi are not dangerous, certain types can cause serious fungal infections in some people. Only a few fungi can cause fatal diseases in healthy people, and these are generally rare and occur only in certain geographic regions.
Do you know that some mushrooms are edible, while others are poisonous? And do you know why some are poisonous? To protect themselves from being eaten to reproduce! Other mushrooms use the opposite strategy. They need animals to eat them in order to spread spores and reproduce.
Some fungi can kill or inhibit the growth of various pathogenic fungi. Thus, it is used as a useful biological control agent in the biological control of plant disease.
A fungus known as the honey mushroom is the largest living organism on the planet. It is believed to be about 2400 years old and covers over 2000 acres.
Researchers have now found that many species are capable of plastic bioremediation including the common, edible Oyster mushroom. The Oyster mushroom is capable of decomposing plastic while still creating an edible mushroom.
