Fungi

Fungi may either be unicellular, e.g. Yeasts or multicellular, e.g. Bread mould. Their cells do not
have chloroplasts. Thus, they can not photosynthesise. Their cells have cell walls made of
chitin. They produce spore which, after being released, will germinate to form hyphae in the soil.
Hyphae are fine thread-like filaments produced due to the germination of fungal spores. Many
hyphae join to form mycelium.

Nutrition:

Fungi feed on dead and decayed organic material and carry out saprotrophic nutrition. After
settling on food, fungal spores germinate to form hyphae. These hyphae are projected into the
food. The tips of hyphae release enzymes depending on type of food, for example, carbohydrase
for carbohydrate, protease for protein, and lipase for fats. These enzymes then digest the food
extracellularly. The digested foods, such as glucose, amino acids and fatty acids and glycerol are
then absorbed into fungal body through hyphae by diffusion.

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Reproduction:

Fungi generally reproduce asexually through either budding, as in the yeasts or spore formation,
as in the bread mould. The spores are produced in the spore case or sporangium. On maturation,
the wall of spore case bursts open releasing spores into the air. Air carries these spores to
different areas where it becomes settled on the soil. The spores are then germinated to form
hyphae. Then the aerial part of hyphae is formed. Spore case is formed in the aerial part. Then
the process continues.

Importance of fungi:

Beneficial aspect:

• They help to maintain soil fertility by recycling many important minerals and
decomposing the organic matter of both plants and animals
• Industrial uses of fungi include-
- In the extraction of enzymes such as invertases and drugs such as antibiotics, steroids
etc.
- in making cheese
- in baking and brewing
- as salad, e.g. mushrooms
- as single cell proteins, e.g. fuserium

Harmful aspect:

• It causes diseases in animals, e.g. athlete’s foot by Taenia pedis

• It causes disease in plants, e.g. Puccinia graminis causes rust of wheat and Phytophthora
infestans causes late blight of potatoes
• Stored food can be damaged by moulds
• Dry rots attack buildings and mildews affect cotton, wool and manufactured goods.

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