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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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