A fungus is not a plant. Fungus Animal Plant Chitin yes yes no Food storage glycogen glycoge n starc h
Dec 22, 2015
A fungus is not a plant.
Fungus Animal Plant
Chitin yes yes no
Food storage
glycogen glycogen starch
Multicellular fungi consist of mycelium,which are made up of strands called hyphae.
Hyphae have enormous surface areas.Absorbs food from environment.Prone to drying out.
Most of “body” of fungus is feeding structure.
Only reproductive body typically exposed to air.Thick, fleshy structure of “shroom” prevents drying out.
Fungi as decomposers
Basidiomycete fungi are the only organisms that can completely digest the lignin in wood.
Fungi serve an essential role in the carbon cycle.
Adaptations helping with decomposition:
1. Extracellular digestionOnly small molecules can cross plasma membranes.Secreted enzymes break down large molecules.
Adaptations helping with decomposition:
2. Lignin peroxidase
Enzyme catalyzes removalof a single electron; creating ahighly reactive atom.
“Enzymatic combustion”Uncontrolled oxidation reaction breaks up polymer.(Most enzymatic reactions veryspecific, but lignin itself highlyrandom).
Randomness of reaction means that E from oxidation can’t be harnessed.
Adaptations helping with decomposition:
3. Cellulose digestion
By cutting up lignin, fungigain access to cellulose.
The cellulase enzymesdigest cellulose into glucose, which can beused for food.
Fungi as partners with plants: Mycorrhizae
Importance of mycorrhizae discovered in ‘70’s.Failure of pine plantations key observation.
Fungi as partners with plants: Mycorrhizae
EM fungi on most trees in temperate & boreal forests.
Hyphae penetrate dead leaves, twigs.Release enzymes that cleave peptide bonds.Provide N to plant in exchange for C.
Fungi as partners with plants: Mycorrhizae
AMF important in tropics and grasslands, on 80% of plants. Ancient; fossil from 400 mya.
Provide phosphorus to plant in exchange for C.
Lichens are composed of fungal hyphae and a layer of autotrophic green algae or cyanobacteria
Colonize bare rock following glaciation.
First stage in soil building.
A fungus called ergot is associated with accusations of witchcraft.
Ergot poisoning causes convulsions, shaking, or spasmsand sometimes hallucinations or gangrene.Ergot is the original source from which LSD first isolated.
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/LECT12.HTM
The first antibiotic was derived from Penicillium.
This is also the genus used to make blue cheeses.Penicillium roquefortii is used in the manufacture of blue cheeses e.g. Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, etc.During the fermentation process the fungus spores are injected into the curd. By the way, the blue in the blue-cheese is caused by the pigment in the spores of the fungus.So, when you eat blue cheese you are consuming spores by the million.http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Mushroom/English/Lives/index.html
Yeast is the workhorseof eukaryotegenetics.
Yeasts are also essential to the productionof wine, beer and bread.