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Mycology(partI)

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Mycology(partII)

Source:Mycology(partI)Tag:definecytoplasmicstreaming
MYCOLOGY
IntroductiontoFungi
ABriefIntroduction
nMycologymeansthestudyofmushrooms(Greek,mykes=mushroom,logos=discourse).
nThesystemicstudyoffungibeganwiththeinventionofmicroscope.
nTheItalianbotanistPierAntonioMicheliisregardedasthefounderofthescienceofmycology.In1729,hepublished
hisresearchesonfungi.
Whatarefungi?
nItisdifficulttogiveaprecisedefinitionofafungus,largelybecauseorganismswhichareregardedasfungiarevery
variableinform,behaviorandlifecycle.
nAinsworth(1973)haslistedtheirmaincharacteristics:
1.Nutrition:
nHeterotrophic(photosynthesislacking)
nAbsorptive(ingestionrare).
2.Thallus:
nOriginfromthesubstratum
nunicellularorfilamentous(mycelial),,
nseptateornonseptate
3.Cellwall:
nwelldefined,
ntypicallychitinated(celluloseinoomycetes).
4.Nuclearstatus:
neukaryotic,multinucleate
nthemyceliumbeinghomoorheterokaryotic
nhaploid,dikaryoticordiploid
5.Lifecycle:
nsimpletocomplex.
nSexuality:asexualorsexualandhomoorheterothallic.
6.Sporocarps:
microscopicormacroscopic
7.Habitat:
ubiquitousassaprobes,symbionts,parastites,
orhyperparasites.
8.Distribution:
cosmopolitan.
Thereareanestimated1.5millionfungalspeciesofwhicharound70,000havebeendescribed.
Importanceoffungi
nFungiareoneofthemostimportantgroupsoforganismsontheplanet.Theyareimportantinanenormousvarietyof
ways.
a)Recycling:
Fungi,togetherwithbacteria,areresponsiblefor
mostoftherecyclingwhichreturnsdeadmaterial
tothesoilinaforminwhichitcanbereused.
nFungiareoneofthemostimportantgroupsoforganismsontheplanet.Theyareimportantinanenormousvarietyof
ways.
b)Mycorrhizaeandplantgrowth:
Fungi are vitally important for the good growth of most plants, including crops, through the development of mycorrhizael
association.Thegrowthofplantsinturnaffectthegrowthofanimalsandhumans.
c)Food:
Fungi are also important directly as food for humans. Many mushrooms are edible and different species are cultivated for
sale worldwide. Fungi are also widely used in the production of many foods and drinks. These include cheeses, beer and
wine,bread,somecakes,andsomesoybeanproducts..
d)Medicines:
Penicillin, the most famous of all antibiotic drugs, is derived from a common fungus called Penicillium. Many other fungi
also produce antibiotic substances, which are now widely used to control diseases in human and animal populations. The
discoveryofantibioticsrevolutionizedhealthcareworldwide
e)Biocontrol:
FungisuchastheChinesecaterpillarfungus,whichparasitiseinsects,canbeextremelyusefulforcontrollinginsectpestsof
crops. Fungi have been used to control Colorado potato beetles, which can devastate potato crops. Spittlebugs, leaf
hoppersandcitrusrustmitesaresomeoftheotherinsectpestswhichhavebeencontrolledusingfungi.
Cropdiseases:
Fungalparasitesmayalsohaveenormousnegativeconsequencesforcropproduction.Somefungiare parasites of plants.
Mostofourcommoncropplantsaresusceptibletofungalattackofonekindoranother. Fungal diseases can on occasion
resultinthelossofentirecropsiftheyarenottreatedwithantifungalagents.
h)FoodSpoilage:
Ithasalreadybeennotedthatfungiplayamajorroleinrecyclingorganicmaterial.Thefungiwhichmakeourbreadandjam
gomoldyareonlyrecyclingorganicmatter.Fungaldamagecanberesponsibleforlargelossesofstoredfood,particularly
food which contains any moisture. Dry grains can usually be stored successfully, but once damaged they are likely to

Terminologyofmycology
WhatisMycology?
Introductiontomycology

becomeinedible.Thisisobviouslyaproblemwherelargequantitiesoffoodarebeingproducedseasonallyandthenrequire
storageuntiltheyareneeded.
Rottingoftextilefibers:
Cotton in its natural state is very resistant to enzymatic degradation but there are fungi which attack and degrade them.
Fungifrequentlyspoilclothesinhumidwarmweather.
Habitatoffungi
nFungicanbefoundinanyhabitat,fromseawaterthroughtofreshwater,insoil,onplantsandanimals,onhumanskin
andevengrowingonmicroscopiccrevicesinCDROMdisks!
Aquaticfungi:
Fungiarefoundinbothfreshwaterandmarine,growingbothonsurfaceandbottomofthewater.Theparasiticfungigreatly
influence the ecology of aquatic habitats by causing sudden epidemic of phytoplanktonic fungi and other populations, like
fishes.
Terrestrialfungi:
nTheseareconventionallyclassifiedintoseveralecologicalgroupsbasedontheirhabitats,e.g.,soilfungi,symbionts
andparasites.
nThesoilinhabitingfungionthebasisofthesubstratesutilizedareclassifiedintoseveralsubstrategroups,e.g.,sugar
fungi,cellulosedecomposingfungi,lignindecomposingfungietc.
nOver80%offungiareassociatedwithtrees.
Some fungi have very specific associations and will grow only with one kind of tree, for example, Uloporus lividus, grows
onlyunderalders.
n Other fungi may be found in association with several different trees. Chanterelles, for example can be found linked
withbirch,pine,oakandbeechtrees.
n Soil type is also important. Some fungi may be associated with a particular tree, but only where it is growing on
suitablesoil.Themostimportantfactorisusuallywhetherthesoilisacidicorcalcareous(chalky).Soilfertilityalso
plays a part. Fields which have been heavily fertilized with artificial nitrates are less likely to be good mushroom
huntingterritorythanthosewhichhavebeenorganicallyfertilized.
Fungiinatmosphere(Airspora):
Airdoesnotserveasahabitat.Onlyfragmentsandsporesofterrestrialfungiadaptedforaerialdispersal,constitutetheair
sporas.Thecompositionoftheairfloraisgovernedonlybyphysicalfactorsoftheairmovementandnotbyanynutritional
factors.Fungiintheatmospherearemostlypresentinthetroposphereuptoaheightof10kmandarerarelyfoundinthe
stratosphere.
Growthoffungi
nTemperature:
Mostfungiwillgrowbetween0and35C,buttheoptimumtemperaturerangeis20and30C.
Thereareanumberofthermophilicspeciesthathaveamaximumtemperatureforgrowthatorabove50Candaminimum
atorabove20C.
Thefungihastheabilitytowithstandextremelylowtemperatureinadormantstate.
npH:
In contrast to bacteria, fungi prefer an acid medium for growth, with a pH of 6 being near the optimum for most species
investigated.
nLight:
Althoughlightisnotrequiredforthegrowthoffungi,somelightisessentialforsporulationinmanyspecies.
Nutritionoffungi
nTheyareheterotrophsanddependuponotherorganismsfortheircarbonsource.Heterotrophscanfurtherbedivided
intothefollowingcategories:
1.Parasites:Organismsthatderivestheirnutritionfromtheprotoplasmofanotherorganisms,calledhost.
2.Saprobes:Organismsthatobtainstheircarbonsource(food)fromthebyproductsoforganismsordeadorganisms.
3.Symbiosis:Itistheintimateassociationoftwodissimilarorganismsinamutuallybeneficialrelationship,e.g.lichensand
mycorrhizae.Thistypeofsymbiosisisspecificallyreferredtoasamutualisticsymbiosis.
Obligatesaprobes:
Theyliveondeadmatterandareincapableofinfectinglivingorganisms.
Facultativeparasites(orfacultativesaprobes):
Somesaprobesmaybecomeparasitic.Suchorganismsaresaidtobefacultativeparasites.
Obligateparasites:
Thefungithatcannotliveexceptoflivingprotoplasm.
Obligatesaprobes:
Theyliveondeadmatterandareincapableofinfectinglivingorganisms.
Obligatesaprobes:
Theyliveondeadmatterandareincapableofinfectinglivingorganisms.
.
Ectomycorrhizae:growonthesurfaceofplantrootswithoutpenetratingthecells.
a.Theyarecommonincoldernorthernclimateswheredecompositionisslow.
b.Thefungusbreaksdownorganicmaterialanddeliversnitrogentotheplant.
2.Arbuscularmycorrhizae:penetratethecellsoftheplantroot.
a.Theyarecommoninwarmergrasslandsandforestswheredecompositionisrapid.
b.Thefungusdeliversphosphorustotheplant.
Lichensareassociationsofafunguswitheitheranalgaorcyanobacterium.
a.Lichensarethedominantspeciesintundrahabitatsandareimportantinbreakingdownrocktoformsoil.
b.Evidencesuggeststhefungusmaysometimesbeparasitictoitsphotosyntheticpartner.
Parasiticfungicausemajordamagetocropssuchaswheat,corn,andbarley.
a.Manyhaveevolvedresistancetofungicides.
b.Anewapproachtoblockingfungalinfectionsincropsmaybetoinfectthecropfirstwithabenignstrainofthepathogen,
thatis,a"livevaccine."
nFungihaveacommonnutritionalmode:Absorption:Thetransportoffoodfromtheirsubstrateintotheircellwalls.The
followingeventsoccurinthismodeofnutrition:

1.Iftheavailablefoodthatthefungusisusingissoluble,i.e.asimpleorganiccompound,suchassimplesugarsand
aminoacids,themyceliumoryeastcellscantransportthefooddirectlythroughtheircellwall.
2.If the available food is insoluble, i.e. a large, complex, organic compound, such as lignin, cellulose and pectin, the
foodmustfirstbedigested.Digestioniscarriedoutbytheproductionofvariousenzymesthataresubstratespecific
andwillbreakdowninsolublefoodmaterialtosolublecompoundsthatcanbetransportedthroughthecellwall.
3.Fungiusuallystoreexcessfoodintheformofglycogenorlipid.
SomaticStructuresofFungi
Thallus:
arelativelyshortplantbodystems,rootsandrootsinfungi,thesomaticfungi.
Hypha:
*Thefungalthallustypicallyconsistsofmicroscopicthreadsorfilamentsthatbranchinalldirections,
*Eachofthesefilamentsisknownashypha.
*Ahyphaismadeonathin,transparent,tubularwallfiledorlinedwithalayerofprotoplasmvaryinginthickness.
Mostfungalhyphaeare210mmdiameter.
Hyphae
Cytoplasmicstreamingoffungalhyphaeisunidirectional,towardsthetips,wheregrowthtakesplace.
Hyphaegrowentirelyattheirtip.Thekeytothefungalgrowthlietotheapex.Itisthesiteofactivedifferentiationand
nucleardivisions.
Thethinhyphaltip,50100mandisfilledwithprotoplasm
Theportionbehindthisisevacuated&incapableofelongation.
Ithelpsingrowthbysynthesizingthecytoplasmwhichistransportedtothetip.
Eachdaughterbranchesbehaveliketheparenthyphaand
formssecondaryandtertiarybranchesbehindtheirgrowingtips.
Hyphaeareusuallyoftwotypes:
i.Coenocytichyphaeandii.septatehyphae.
i.Coenocytichyphae:
Thesehyphaearenonseptateoraseptate.Thesehyphaehavenucleiscatteredinthecytoplasm..Intheaseptatehyphae
septaarecutoffold,emptyportionsofhyphaeinthehinderregionandtodelimitthesexorgans.
ii.Septatehyphae:
Thehyphaewithmoreorlessregularlyoccurringcrosswalls.
Septum:
The protoplasm in the hyphae of most filamentous fungi is interrupted at regular intervals by partitions or crosswalls that
divideeachhyphaintocompartmentsorcells.Thecrosswallsarecalledsepta.
Therearetwogeneraltypesofsepta:
1)Primaryand
2)Adventitious.
Primarysepta:
*formedinassociationwithnucleardivision.
*laiddownbetweendaughternuclei..
Adventitioussepta:
*Formedindependentlyofnucleardivision.
*Speciallyassociatedwithchangesinthe
concentrationoftheprotoplasmasitmovesfromonepart
ofthehyphatoanother.
Septavaryintheirconstruction.Somearesimple,others
arecomplex.
Primaryseptaareofseveraltypes.Forexample,
Completesepta:insomeseptagrowthcontinuesuntiltheseptuminasolidplate.
Perforatedsepta:insomeseptatheseptumremainsincomplete,leavingaporeinthecenterthatmayoftenbeplugged.
Doliporesepta:inthemostcomplexfungitheseptahaveaspecialcentralapparatusintheformofabarrelshapedinflation
surroundedtypicallybyaperforatedmembrane.Thesearecalleddoliporesepta,foundinbasidiomycetes.

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