Bacteriology W7

Question 1

What is the study of fungi

Answer 1

Mycology

Question 2

What are fungi

Answer 2

Heterotrophs - cant make own food

Principle decomposers in every ecosystem

Question 3

Fungi structure

Answer 3

• fungi are composed of filaments called hyphae (singular: hypha).
• fungi have cell walls (like plants) but the cell walls are composed of chitin • fungi do not have flagella at any phase of their life cycle

Question 4

Other fungi characteristics

Answer 4

• store ‘food’ in the form of glycogen (as do animals)
• generally the cells are haploid (1 set of chromosomes)
• produce secondary metabolites
• grow as hyphae or yeasts, the hyphae exhibit apical growth
• produce spores by means of sexual and asexual reproduction

Question 5

Cell membrane contains …

Answer 5

Ergosterol (animal have cholesterol and plants have sitosterol)

Question 6

Human infections

Answer 6

Due t similarity of human and fungal cells, fungal infections are difficult to treat

Athletes foot, ringworm and thrush

Question 7

Plant infections

Answer 7

Fungi cause major crop diseases

The great bengal famine 1943

Question 8

Chemical production

Answer 8

the diverse nature of fungal metabolic pathways generates many commercial products:
• ethanol
• organic acids (citric acid)
• enzymes (amylase, pectinase, protease)
• antibiotics (penicillin G)