The fungi constitute a large and diverse group of organisms that share some characteristics with both lower plants (algae) and lower animals but are not closely related to either. The characteristics of fungi sometimes cause it to be mistakenly put in the plant kingdom.  They contain true mitochondria and membrane-enclosed nuclei, lack chlorophyll and chloroplasts, and reproduce by both asexual and sexual means.  It decays dead organic matter or grows on other organisms to get nutrients for growth.

-To reproduce  they need spores, sexual spores, asexual spores, or both depending on the contact with a suitable hypha, food availability, and how cool or damp the conditions are. When the spores become airborne, if the spore doesn’t land, it will not reproduce. It has to have help.

-Fungi can be found in many different environments.  Fungi will grow on almost anything.  Fungi can be found outside in forests, gardens and even in your own backyard.  Some are good to eat, but some are deadly.  They can also grow on your feet causing them to become itchy, known as athlete's foot.  Some fungi can cause ringworm on the body.  Many species are often found on foods in the form of yeasts and molds.

-Fungi come in almost all colors, shapes, and sizes.

-To see fungi of all colors, shapes, and sizes go to: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0504.htm

Groups Of Fungi:

Fungi can be grouped into three different categories-

-Saprobes are fungi which obtain their nutrients from nonliving organic matter.

-Decomposers are fungi which feed off of dead organic organisms.

-Parasites are the other kind and they extract nutrients form tissues of a living host

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    Facts Of Fungi:

-Fungi are heterotrophs, meaning they require organic compounds that other organisms synthesize.                                                                                                           -Fungi were here over 900 million years ago, we know this because of fossil records. -three well-known lineages were established:

Zygomycetes- conjugation fungi (e.g. bread molds) 

Asomycetes- sac fungi (e.g. mildew and brewer's yeast)

 Basidiomycetes- club fungi (e.g. mushrooms) 

-fungi are all over the world, a great place to look at them in New Zealand is www.fungi.co.nz/                             -examples of fungi are mushrooms, puffballs, molds, rust and yeasts.                                                                              -to find more examples go to www.herb.lsa.umich.edu/kidpage/kingfact.htm

-the most common example of mushrooms is Pholiota squarrosa which usually occurs in dense tufts on tree roots or stumps.

-puffballs grow on the top of soil.

-a common mold is slime mold, which is a primitive fungus that spreads over plant debris.

-There are 56,000 fungal species we know about—and at least a million more that we have not yet found out.

The Killing Fungi

Amanita phalloides is better known as death cap mushroom, it lives up to its name and as little as 5 milligrams of this can cause vomiting and diarrhea will begin eight to twenty-four hours later. The liver and kidneys will degenerate; death will follow in a few days

Everyday Uses:

-It is used in brewing beer, fermenting grapes and other substances to produce wines.

-It is used commercially because of its rapid growth.

-Played a major part in producing antibiotics.

-Penicillins, cephalosporins, and gresiofulvin use fungus material.

-also grown for production of enzymes such as the acid proteases, which is used commercially for meat tenderizing and bread making.

-for more examples on fungi go to:  www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/fungi/fungi.html

For A Example Of The Life Cycle Of A Fungi. 

CLICK HERE

Taxonomy

They are classified according to their methods of sexual reproduction, types of life cycle, growth forms, and methods of asexual propagation

 

-Saprobes- kind of fungi that obtains nutrients from nonliving organic matter and so cause its decay.

-Parasites- the other kind they extract nutrients from tissues of a living host

-Spores- reproductive or resting structure of one or a few cells often walled or coated and adopted for resisting adverse conditions, for dispersal, or both. May be nonsexual or sexual.

-Mycelium- it is a mesh of tiny, branching filaments the food absorbing portion of most fungi. Rapidly grows over or into organic matter and has a good surface-to-volume ratio for food absorption.

-Hypha- each filament in a mycelium is called this.

-Basidiomycetes- produces their spores externally on structures known as basidia.

-Ascomycetes- produce their spores in closed sacs, or asci, from which they are often forcibly discharged at maturity as if shot from a gun.

-Zygomyletes- the first cell of a new individual, formed by fusion of a sperm nucleus with egg nucleus at fertilization, a fertilized egg.

WORK CITED

-Starr, Cecie 1999. Biology concepts and applications. Brooks/Cole, Thomson Learning.

-Academic American Encyclopedia.  Danbury, Connecticut.  Grolier Inc.  Pgs. 365-368.  1994.

-Collier's Encyclopedia.  New York.  Macmillan Educational Company.  Pgs. 470-474.  1992.