Laboratory Activity 10

THE FUNGI
Introduction
The Kingdom Fungi includes some of the most important organisms, both in terms of
their ecological and economic roles. By breaking down dead organic material, they
continue the cycle of nutrients through ecosystems. In addition, most vascular plants
could not grow without the symbiotic fungi, or mycorrhizae, that inhabit their roots and
supply essential nutrients. Other fungi provide numerous drugs (such as: penicillin and
other antibiotics), foods like mushrooms, truffles and morels, and the bubbles in bread,
champagne, and beer.

Fungi also cause a number of plant and animal diseases: in humans, ringworm,
athlete's foot, and several more serious diseases are caused by fungi because fungi are
more chemically and genetically similar to animals than other organisms, this makes
fungal diseases very difficult to treat. Plant diseases caused by fungi include rusts,
smuts, and leaf, root, and stem rots, and may cause severe damage to crops. However,
a number of fungi, in particular the yeasts, are important "model organisms" for studying
problems in genetics and molecular biology.
Objectives:
At the end of the laboratory activity, the students should be able to:
1. Define fungi, yeast and molds;
2. Compare and contrast fungi, yeast and molds;
3. Distinguish the morphological and microscopic characteristics of
yeasts and molds and
4. Identify the importance of fungi.

Materials
Compound light microscope Gram's lodine dissecting needle
Gram's staining solution 2 test tubes alcohol lamp
Incubated bread mould 3 glass slides 3 glass slides with
cover slip
Medicine dropper Baker's yeast Hand lens
2 petri plates
Procedure:
Yeasts:
Microscopic observation of yeasts:
1. Suspend gently a pinch of baker's yeast in a small amount of
lukewarm water in a test tube, creating a milky whitish solution.
2. Using a clean medicine dropper; place a drop of suspension on two
(2) clean glass slides.
3. Add a drop of Gram's iodine on one of the glass slides and cover with
a cover
4. Perform Gram staining technique to the other glass slides.
5. Observe both glass slides under the microscope using LPO and HPO.
Molds:
B.1 Morphological Examination of Molds:
1. Obtain a mold colony from old pieces of bread and moisten it with
water.
2. Place the mold colony in a clean petri dish and incubate for 2-4 hours
at room temperature. (Note: If mold growth is heavy, incubate may not
be necessary).
3. Using hand lens, study the mold colony and observe the following:
A. Color
B. Consistency
C. Texture
D. size and shape
 B.2 Preparing a Fresh Mount for Microscopic Examination of Molds:
1. Get some of the hairy mold colony from the petri dish using a
dissecting needle.
2. Put a drop of water on the slide.
3. Place the mold colony on the drop of water. Tease the sample to
separate the filaments of mold.
4. Cover the sample with a cover slip. Do this by bringing one edge of
the cover slip on the edge of the water drop. Slowly drop the cover
slip ensuring that the water does not spill beyond the cover slip.
5. Examine the fresh mount under LPO and HPO.
​
DATA AND RESULTS:
Fill in the tables in terms of the morphological features of mold.
DRAWINGS:
​ QUESTIONS:
1. Compare and contrast yeast and molds with regard to their
appearance under the microscope.
2. Differentiate plants from fungi.
3. Aside from yeast and molds, identify two (2) types of fungi and give
their commercial importance.
4. Describe the following structures of a fungus and terms:
A. Hyphae
B. Mycelium
C. Stolon
D. Saccharomyces cerevisiae
E. Candida albicans
F. Penicillium notatum
CONCLUSION:
REFERENCES:
 Laboratory Activity No. 10

THE FUNGI

DATA SHEET

Name: Date:
Group No.: 2 Score:
Data and Results:
​ Yeasts
A.1 Yeast with Gram’s Iodine:

HPO
LPO Total Magnification: 400x
Total Magnification: 100x

A.2 Yeasts with Gram’s Stain:

LPO HPO
Total Magnification: 100x Total Magnification: 400x

​
Molds
B.1 Morphological Features of Molds

Color Consistency Texture Shape and Size

The mold have a while the consistency on what i as i observed the mold
white color while of the mold moves observed on the on the bread has a
the bread has a the mold has a sticky texture of the mold shape of a rectangle and
yellowish and feature on it have the web look have a same size as a
brownish color of on it and have a bread
its sticky consistency
on the mold

B.2 Microscopic Examination of Molds

LPO HPO
Total Magnification: 100x Total Magnification: 400x

Questions:
1. Compare and contrast yeast and molds with regard to their appearance under
the microscope.

- The observation that I have by comparing yeast and mold under the microscope,
is that the yeast that has been iodine and gram stain is a gram-negative clear
vision, and has many colonies, while in a mold in an LPO microscope mold that
 you can see is that the colonies are forming and while in the HPO the hyphae
that you can see in the HPO
2. Differentiate plants from fungi.
- The difference is in plants and fungi is that plants use the sun to have energy,
and make seed cones and spores to reproduce. at the same time, fungi
decompose and break down the decaying matter
3. Aside from yeast and molds, identify two types of fungi and give their commercial
importance.
- saprotrophic fungi- are ecologically beneficial decomposers who eat dead
organic matter and decompose it for nourishment.
- parasitic fungi- illness is brought on by organisms that feed on living things,
usually plants.
4. Describe the following structures of fungus and terms:
- Hyphae
execute a wide range of tasks in fungus. They include the genetic material-containing
nuclei as well as the cytoplasm, or cell sap. Hyphae transfer nutrients to different areas
of the thallus after absorbing them from the environment (fungus body).
- Mycelium
is a system of hyphae or fungal filaments. Although mycelia frequently flourish
underground, they can also develop in other environments like decaying tree trunks. A
mycelium can grow from a single spore. A mycelium can produce the fruiting bodies of
fungi, such as mushrooms.
- Stolon
stems that extend from the ground. At the nodes, adventitious roots are created, and
the runners' buds can grow into upright shoots and distinct plants, like strawberry plants.
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae
(S. cerevisiae) is a unicellular fungus, possessing a nuclear genomic DNA of 12068
kilobases (kb) organized in 16 chromosomes [1]. Its genome has been completely
sequenced by Goffeau et al.
- Candida albicans
is a fungal infection brought on by a fungus known as Candida. People can become
infected by some types of Candida; Candida albicans are the most prevalent. Candida
typically coexists with healthy skin and parts of the body like the mouth, throat, gut, and
vagina without posing any health risks.
- Penicillium notatum
is a fungus that is frequently non-pathogenic to people and is commonly present in the
environment. Nonetheless, it may be identified as a cause of systemic mycosis in
immunocompromised hosts.
Conclusion

- Fungi are all fascinating organisms with a wide range of ecological medical and
industrial applications. Their unique abilities to break down complex organic
matter and form symbiotic relationships with other organisms make them
essential components of many ecosystems.

References:
Moore, David, and Vernon Ahmadjian. “Fungus | Definition, Characteristics, Types, & Facts.”
Encyclopædia Britannica, 3 Jan. 2019, www.britannica.com/science/fungus

“How Fungi Are Constructed.” Nbm-Mnb.ca, 2011,

website.nbm-mnb.ca/mycologywebpages/NaturalHistoryOfFungi/Thallus.html.

CDC. “Candidiasis.” Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019,

www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/candidiasis/index.html.

Parapouli, Maria, et al. “Saccharomyces Cerevisiae and Its Industrial Applications.” AIMS
Microbiology, vol. 6, no. 1, 11 Feb. 2020, pp. 1–32, https://doi.org/10.3934/microbiol.2020001.

“Stolon - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.” Www.sciencedirect.com,

www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/stolon.