An Introduction to Fungi and Algae

7/27/2019 An Introduction to Fungi and Algae

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Fungi and Algae

FUNGI

During rainy

season, a large

number of

umbrella-

shaped

mushroomsemerge on

dung-piles.

Fluffy mass of

tangled threads

like structure

with black-dots

of molds is also

often seen

growing onbread, these

mushrooms and

molds are

fungi.

Characteristics

1. Fungi are simple heterotrophic eukaryotes which cannot manufacture

their food and have absorptive mode of nutrition (e.g. absorbed prepared

food).2. Cell wall is made up of Chitin instead of cellulose.

3. Some fungi are parasitic while others are saprotrophs.

4. Parasitic fungi obtain their food from other living organisms.

5. Saprotrophic fungi get their food from dead animals, plants, their wastes

and decaying materials.

Examples: Yeast, Ustilago, Penicillium.


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Fungi and Algae

.Penicillium

.Penicillium is known for its production of the antibiotic penicillin.

.Ustilago

. It is a group of fungi which cause the rust and the smut disease of cereals.

.Yeast

. A sub group of fungi which are single celled organisms and belong to genus

saccharomyces is called yeast.

.Toad Stool

.A group of mushrooms which are poisonous and cant be used as food are called

toadstool. These mushrooms can produce serious disorders in the metabolism ofthe cells of living organisms.

USEFUL ASPECTS OF FUNGI

1) Natural and scientific UseSaprotrophic fungi chemically break down dead bodies of organisms and their

wastes into simple components. They clean the environment and also cause the

recycling of nutrients.

2) Agricultural useMycorrhizal fungi improve the growth production of crop plants.


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Fungi and Algae

3) Food

Some of Mushrooms and some other fungi are edible and are used in daily meals.

Yeasts are used in making bread and alcohol. However, some are poisonous and

popularly called as toad stool or dead stool.

4) Medicinesome of the antibiotics for example, are also obtained from some fungi Penicillin.

Penicillin is obtained from the fungus penicillium.

: Turkey tail mushroom : Useful Fungi

HARMFULL ASPECTS

1) Food spoilage

Saprophytic fungi decompose food-stuff hence spoil food. Vegetables, fruit, bread

and meat is spoiled by fungi.


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Fungi and Algae

2) Human Diseases

Some of human diseases are caused by fungi for example, aspergillosis,

moniliasis, and ring worms. These diseases cause disorders of ears, lungs, skin,

gums and intestines.

3) Plant Diseases

Many agricultural crops, fruits and ornamental are destroyed by fungi. For

example, rust and smut of cereal crops like wheat, rice corn etc. Phytophatora

fungi cause Potato-blight which is a veryserious disease.In apple it causes apple-scab disease. American elm trees are destroyed by Dutch elm which is a fungus

disease.

4) Goods spoilage

It also causes spoilage of leather, goods, wool, book, timber, cotton etc.

AlgaeAlgae are a group of simple eukaryotes in which, like plants, chlorophyll is found.

They are photosynthetic autotrophy and have cellulose in their cell wall.

Characteristics

1) All the algae have chlorophyll so they are autotrophic; they make their own

food by photosynthesis.

2) Their cell walls are made up of cellulose.

3) Algae are mostly marine found in the sea. While others are found in fresh waterlakes, ponds, puddles, streams and rivers and they are also found in damp soil.

4) Their plant body is called a thallus without a true root, stem or leaf.

5) Algae are sometimes classified on the basis of the pigments they contain. Their

green color can be masked by the presence of other pigments.

6) Their reserved food material is starch.

7) Algae have a wide variety from unicellular algae, e.g. chlamydomanas and

spirogyra to multicellular large seaweeds like sargassum.

8) Previously algae were regarded as plants and were placed in thallophyta.


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Fungi and Algae

Importance of Algae

.They provides food for aquatic animals and

maintains the food chain in water

.Brown algae are used for extraction of

iodine.

.Some species of algae are used for fertilizer

.Diatoms are used in the manufacturing of

tooth paste

ChlamydomonasIt is a fresh water alga. It is found growing in still water of ponds, pools, ditches, tank

lakes etc. It grows abundantly in polluted water rich in organic matter and ammonium

compounds.

Structure

It is unicellular, eukaryotic green motile alga. It is spherical, oval or pear shaped

with pointed anterior end. It has cell wall, cytoplasm, distinct nucleus and flagella.

Cell Wall is thin but firm and transparent. It is made up of cellulose and pectin

compound.


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Fungi and Algae

Differences between Fungi and AlgaeAlgae:1. Cell wall is made up of cellulose.

2. Cells contain chloroplasts. Hence, these are

green in color.

3. These are autotrophic.

4. Cells are uninucleated.

5. The reserve food is starch.

6. They contain chlorophyll and other pigments.

7. They prepare their own food.

8. They contain many nuclei.

Fungi:1. Cell wall is made up of chitin.

2. Cells do not contain chloroplasts. Hence,

these are colorless.

3. These are heterotrophic.

4. Cells or hypha is uninucleated,

binucleated or coenocytic.

5. The reserve food is glycogen.

6. They do not contain chlorophyll.

7. They obtain their food from other living

organisms.

8. They contain only one nucleus.

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An Introduction to Fungi and Algae

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