ANSWER SHEET

ACTIVITY 3
FUNGI: YEASTS AND MOLDS

NAME: SEAN CARLO SUAREZ Date Performed: 2/27/24

Group No. 1 Date Submitted: 3/10/2024

Prepared Slide Specimen

Specimen: Rhizopus sporangia Specimen: Aspergillus

Hyphae: Coenocytic Hyphae: Septate
Spore: Sporangiospores Spore: Conidia
Phylum: Zygomycota Phylum: Ascomycota
Disease Caused: Pulmonary mucormycosis Disease Caused: Aspergillosis

Specimen: Puccinia graminis Specimen: Mucor

Hyphae: Septate Hyphae: Coenocytic
Spore: Basidiospores, Pycniospores Spore: Sporangiospores
(spermatia), Aeciospores, Urediniospores Phylum: Zygomycota
(uredospores), and Teliospores Disease Caused: Mucormycosis
Phylum: Basidiomycetes
Disease Caused: Stem rust in wheat or
barley
B. Yeast Study
1. Draw typical yeast cells in the following space.
a. Water-iodine suspension
Observation:
The iodine stain enhances visibility and
highlights the unique cell wall and
membrane. The staining may show that
yeast cells have a nucleus, indicating that
they are eukaryotic. The condition and
composition of the cells can be determined
by assessing the size, shape, and overall
integrity of the cells. Moreover, observing
how cells clump or aggregate helps us
understand how they function in a given
environment.
C. Mold Study
Air Exposure Method
b. Methylene blue suspension
Observation:
The stain may reveal information about the
general structure of the yeast cell by
highlighting the nucleus, cell membrane, and
other intracellular components. This
facilitates the examination of individual cells
and makes their size, shape, and any other
distinctive qualities easier to see. Methylene
blue staining is particularly useful in
experiments for identifying live cells from
dead ones because viable yeast cells
typically take up the stain and exhibit a
characteristic coloration.
Cellophane Tape Method
 Description:
A viable air sampler is used in particular
indoor locations to study mold exposure. The
apparatus collects airborne mold spores and
places them on agar plates that are grown on
by the mold. After a predefined period of
time, the mold species are identified and
measured, and the plates are examined for
the formation of colonies. The types and
concentration of mold in the air sample are
revealed by this technique.
Description:
Surfaces suspected of harboring mold
growth are covered with the tape. This
technique is known as the cellophane tape
method. It is positioned on a glass
microscope slide for microscopic inspection
after the tape is carefully peeled off. Mold
types are classified according to their
morphology.

D. Questions

1. List down the 5 distinguishing characteristics of fungi.

Fungal cell membranes are composed of fatty lipid molecules, proteins, and other associated
molecules. Similar to plant and animal cells, fungal cells also need to maintain a certain fluidity
in their cell membrane, and this is achieved by a structurally rigid group of molecules known
as sterols. Fungi use a substance called ergosterol, while animal cells use cholesterol for this
purpose. It's interesting to note that ergosterol in mushrooms and mycelium can, in some
circumstances, be transformed into vitamin D. Fungal cell walls need to maintain high turgor
pressure, whereas plant cell walls are mostly composed of cellulose, fungi produce a cell wall
rich in beta-glucan and chitin. The structure of a filamentous fungus, known as a mycelium,
is a highly branched network of ever-reaching strands of tube-like cells called hyphae. Fungi
are also heterotrophic, like animals. Animals have evolved an internal digestive system with
tubes and chambers from the mouth to the you-know-what, but fungi primarily digest externally
by secreting an enzymatic soup known as exudate and using a complex system of chemical
sensing (Dejsardin, 2023).

2. Why are yeast colonies larger than bacterial colonies?

Oval in shape, yeasts are marginally bigger than bacteria. Most often, they reproduce by
budding. Each cell has the capacity to produce multiple buds, or swellings, during budding,
which separate to form new, fully developed daughter cells (Texas A&M University, n.d.)

3. Why do yeasts generally have to be cultured for longer periods than most bacteria?

Because of their larger cell sizes and slower growth rates than most bacteria, yeasts typically
require longer cultivation times. Yeasts are eukaryotic microorganisms with a slower growth
cycle overall due to their more complex cellular structure, which involves processes like DNA
replication and cellular division. Yeast cells are larger than other cells, so it takes longer for
them to assemble the parts of their cells. Furthermore, the length of time needed for cultivation
is increased by their particular, frequently more complex nutrient requirements as well as the
requirement for specific environmental conditions. All of these points highlight the need for
longer cultivation times when working with yeasts as opposed to bacteria.

4. What is the difference between vegetative and aerial mycelia?

A mycelium is the collective term for the hyphae mass. Asexual reproductive spores are
produced by the aerial mycelium, which is made up of aerial hyphae, while the vegetative
 mycelium, which anchors the mold and absorbs nutrients, is made up of vegetative hyphae
(Kaiser, n.d.)

5. Describe how sporangiospores differ from conidia.

A unique kind of asexual spores are called conidia. They are carried on unique branches
known as conidiophores, either singly or in chains. On the other hand, the sporangia carry the
sporangiospores. They are typically produced in vast quantities (doubtnut, n.d.)

References:

Dejsardin, D. (2023). The 5 Distinctive Features of Fungi.

https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/the-5-distinctive-features-of-fungi

Doubtnut (n.d.) What are Conidia? How are they Different from Sporangiospores?
https://www.doubtnut.com/qna/60039223

Kaiser, G. (n.d.) Molds.

https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Microbiology/Microbiology_(Kaiser)/Unit_4%3A_Eukaryoti
c_Microorganisms_and_Viruses/08%3A_Fungi/8.3%3A_Molds#:~:text=The%20portion%20of%
20the%20mycelium,1).

Texas A&M University (n.d.). Introduction to the Microbiology of Food. https://aggie-

horticulture.tamu.edu/food-technology/food-processing-entrepreneurs/microbiology-of-food/