Fungi: mushrooms, mold, and mildew!
(it's one of the six kingdoms!)
Mushrooms, mold, and mildew are all organisms from the kingdom Fungi!
(Some fungi can kill you, others are healthy! )
MUSHROOMS!
http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/812346.html
^^ its a FAIRYTALE mushrooom!^^
many people have thought that mushrooms were plants, but they're actually not.
Scientists found that they are closer to animals, but they are still their own unique organism.
they don't use photosynthesis for energy.
Instead, they take it from the organic matter which they live in.
a fungus is a EUKARYOTIC ORGANISM that is part of the kingdom fungi.
most fungi live in soil, dead matter, plants, and even other fungi.
Some fungi work in symbiosis with animals!
the study of fungi is called MYCOLOGY, and although thats the part of botany(study of plants) that studies fungus, there is still good reason to study them in botany.
without fungi, we wouldnt have leavened bread, cheeses, beer, and wine!
Fungi was also used to make the antibiotic penicillin.
fungi is a "parasite". it gets it energy from the things it feeds off of.
in other words, it's the "HOST".
fungi can cause a lot of diseases in humans, like ringworm and athlete's foot. (there are even more serious diseases.)
(see last paragraph in "mold")
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perhaps one of the most VALUABLE mushrooms is the truffle. they've been collected for at least 3,600 years!
they grow underground and are VERY difficult to find. (also pricey)
The fungi that you see in these pictures is only the part that is visible to our eyes.
in fact, the living body of the fungi is a MYCELIUM made out of little filaments called HYPHAE.
the mycelium live unseen until they grow mushrooms.
some mycelium produce tiny fungus, so most people wouldn't even know it was there.
one distinct difference between plants and fungi is that fungi's cell wall is made of CHITIN!
chitin is the material that makes the hard shells of insects.
PLANTS DO NOT MAKE CHITIN!
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MILDEW.
www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/files/images/mildew-on-maple2-1.preview.jpg
^^ powdery or downy mildew?^^
Mildew refers to certain kinds of molds or fungus. The term mildew is often used to refer to mold growth.
mildew can live anywhere; your bathrooms, kitchens, windowsills, and any unaired places.
(pretty much many basements)
that's pretty gross, huh?
( it also smells. )
POWDERY MILDEW & DOWNY MILDEW are caused by fungus!
downy mildew is especially bad for potatoes, grapes, and tobacco.
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POWDERY MILDEW.
powdery mildew is one of the most ancient plant diseases.
There have been recordings of it from the ancient Greeks, and even the Old Testament!
Powdery mildew makes leaves look like they have been coated with flour.
Leaves might turn yellow, fall off, and even kill the plant itself!
most trees and plants can get mildew, but not pine trees!
(they're TOTALLY immune.)
Powdery mildew is especially serious on cucumber, squash, rose, phlox and lilac.
All powdery mildew fungi infect the plant tissue by sending hollow tubes from a spore on the leaf surface into the plant to suck out nutrients.
after about 4 days, more spores start to grow, and that's what makes the floury coating on the plants.
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DOWNY MILDEW.
downy mildew is different from powdery mildew.
unlike powdery mildew, downy mildew affects only the bottom of the leaves.
the tops of leaves will have yellow splotches, while the bottom
of the leaf will have gray, white, blue, or violet fuzzy stuff.
fruits that have been affected are small and bitter.
(if they even make it to harvest)
downy mildews live in conditions that are cool and moist.
when it rains, or after a rain, the downy mildew spores come after about 4 hours.
the spores are killed if the temperatures are about 80F.
downy mildew is spread by splashing water while
powdery mildew is spread by the wind.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Downy_and_Powdery_mildew_on_grape_leaf.JPG
see the difference?
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MOLD.
http://www.e-roofing.com/images/mold1.jpg
there are thousand of species of mold, and like all fungi, they get their energy from the things they live inside of.
however, molds play a big part in decomposition of organic things.
molds reproduce through small pores, which can have a single nucleus.
molds can be asexual (mitosis) and sexual (meiosis). many species can produce both.
many can survive extreme temperatures and pressure.
some molds can be growing in temperatures as low as 2°C.
different species of molds depends on how long they can stand the temperatures they are growing in.
many molds can grow in buildings because the temperatures are often stable enough for mold growth.
they're usually the fuzzy green things you see growing on the walls and food. ( eww. )
Mold needs a food source, (ex. wood, leaves, paper, dirt) and a source of moisture to in order to grow.
some common molds are: penicillium, which is used in cheese, and rhizopus, which is found in most of your dead and moldy food.
| Domain: |
eukaryotes |
| Kingdom: |
fungi |
|
Phylum:
|
zygomycota |
| Class: |
zygomycetes |
| Order: |
mucorales |
| Family: |
mucoraceae |
| Genus: |
rhizopus |
| Species: |
stolonifer |
^^classification for black bread mold.^^
its binomial name is RHIZOPUS STOLONIFER.
BLACK BREAD MOLD.
black bread mold is a mucoralean mold. its mostly found on bread. (obviously)
it takes food and nutrients from the bread and causes damage to the surface where it lives.
black bread mold grows rapidly at 59F to 86F.
it can also be found on soft fruits.
most of these black bread mold spores are in the air, so it can grow within a few days
if you keep your bread in a humid environment.
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a disease you can get from mold is aspergillosis.
its when you inhale the mold spores, and they go into your lungs.
then, mold starts growing
IN YOUR LUNGS!
-other diseases include: athlete's foot (mentioned in mushrooms), yeast infections, and trichoderma.
SOME AWESOME VIDEOS ON FUNGI!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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BIBLIOGRAPHY-
MORE LINKS FOR FUNGI::
MORE LINKS FOR MOLD:
MORE LINKS FOR MILDEW:
^^ Click them! They lead to places! ^^
Comments (1)
ShawnJ said
at 2:22 pm on Feb 4, 2010
i think this page is the best!
good job
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