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HNC Applied Science in Biology and Chemistry > Microbiology - Outcome 2 - Fungi > Flashcards

Microbiology - Outcome 2 - Fungi Flashcards

Describe and Explain Aspects of Eukaryotic Micro-organisms

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1
Q

what are fungi?

A

eukaryotic micro-organisms

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2
Q

what 2 broad groups can fungi be divided into?

A
  • unicellular fungi or yeasts
  • multicellular higher fungi or moulds
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3
Q

are all fungi heterotrophic?

A

yes - means they require organic foodstuffs

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4
Q

What type of organism is mould and how does it obtain nutrients?

A
  • mould is a saprophytic organism
  • obtains nutrients by decomposing dead or decaying organic matter
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5
Q

how can most fungi be described in terms of their oxygen levels?

A

aerobes

however yeast - are facultative anaerobes

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6
Q

where can fungi grow?

A
  • wood
  • paint
  • paper
  • synthetic plastics
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7
Q

what organelles do ALL fungi contain?

A

usual complement of internal organelles eg. nucleus, cell membrane, cell wall, rough ER

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8
Q

what external structure do fungi lack?

A

flagella

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9
Q

what are yeast?

A

single celled organisms which possess a single nucleus

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10
Q

how do yeast reproduce?

A
  • asexually by budding
  • sexually by spore formation
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11
Q

what is mould?

A
  • multicellular organisms
  • possesses long, thread-like filaments of cells called hyphae
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12
Q

what is it called when mould has a large mass of hyphae present?

A

mycelium

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13
Q

what are fungal hyphae?

A

tubular structures which have an outer cell wall and a hollow lumen - contains cytoplasm and organelles

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14
Q

what is the hyphen tube separated by?

A
  • septum/ cross walls
  • which forms barriers across a filament
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15
Q

what are the hyphae called that possess cross walls?

A

septate

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16
Q

what is cytoplasmic streaming?

A

where pores in the cross walls of septate allow movement of cytoplasm, nutrients and organelles between adjacent compartments.

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17
Q

what are the hyphae called that do NOT possess cross walls?

A

aseptate

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18
Q

what are vegetative hyphae?

A
  • form mycelia
  • anchor fungus in its substrate
  • enable fungus to obtain nutrients from environment
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19
Q

what is reproductive hyphae/aerial hyphae?

A
  • hyphae that stick up into air
  • reproductive spores are formed
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20
Q

what is a characteristic of asexual reproduction on yeast?

A

bud scars

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21
Q

how do moulds reproduce?

A
  • by fungal spores
  • specialised cells that can function as resting or dispersal structures
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22
Q

what are the two types of fungal spores produced when moulds reproduce?

A
  • asexual spores
  • sexual spores
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23
Q

what is an asexual spore?

A
  • genetically similar to its parent
  • formed by asexual division
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24
Q

what is the most common type of mould that develops spores inside a sack and what are they called?

A
  • mucor
  • sporangium moulds
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25
Q

what is the sac called that contains sporangium?

A

sporangiospore

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26
Q

what type of variation of aerial hyphae is seen on penicillium mould?

A
  • chains of spores known as condida that forms on end of aerial hyphae
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27
Q

what does sexual reproduction in moulds allow?

A

genetic variation - occurs less frequently than asexual reproduction

28
Q

what does the production of sexual spores allow?

A
  • mixing of genotypes
  • can be used as a means of classifying fungi
29
Q

describe what happens in zygomycetes in terms of sexual reproduction

A
  • zygomycetes are a group of fungi
  • sexual spore - zygospore - formed between hyphae opposite mating types
  • haploid nuclei from each mating type fuse to form single (diploid) nucleus
30
Q

describe what happens in ascus in terms of sexual reproduction?

A
  • sexual spores ascomycetes form inside an ascus
  • ascus can contain 8 ascospores
31
Q

what is the structure called where fungi house their sexual spores?

A

fruiting body

32
Q

what are moulds classed as In terms of pH?

A

acidophiles

33
Q

what are fungi classed as in terms on temperature?

A

mesophiles

34
Q

what mould has thermophilic properties?

A

penicillum dupontii

35
Q

what process do fungi carry out in order to digest decaying plant material?

A

exodigestion

36
Q

describe what happens during exodigestion

A
  • secreting enzymes to digest cellulose in plant cell walls in order to gain access to cellular components
  • small/simple (simple sugars, amino acids) molecules in solution can then be absorbed directly across fungal wall and cell membrane
  • larger/complex molecules (polymers - polysaccharides and proteins) must be first broken down into smaller molecules which can then be absorbed
  • this degradation takes place outside fungal cell and is achieved by enzymes which are either released through or are bound to fungal wall - extracellular enzymes
  • once absorbed, nutrients distributed throughout mycelium by process of cytoplasmic streaming
37
Q

what are moulds described as in terms of oxygen?

A
  • obligate aerobes
  • carry out aerobic respiration to produce energy
38
Q

what are yeasts described as in terms of oxygen?

A
  • obligate aerobes or facultative anaerobes
  • use glucose in respiration
39
Q

what do yeast produce when they respire anaerobically?

A

ethanol and less energy

40
Q

what are the two antimicrobial chemicals that target fungi?

A

fungicidal chemicals and fungistatic chemicals

41
Q

give an example of an item that contains a fungicide?

A

paints

42
Q

how do fungicidal agents work?

A

by targeting specific enzymes within the fungus (sterol synthesis) and others inhibit mitochondrial function

43
Q

give an example of a fungistatic item and how does it work?

A

-anti-fungal medicines
- fluconazole
- treat Candida
- interferes with synthesis of fungal cell membrane

44
Q

what family of yeast mostly dominates the skin?

A

malassezia - feed on fatty secretions

45
Q

give an example of a commensal relationship between fungi and humans?

A
  • pneumocytosis
  • lost genes for building some essential compounds so takes human
  • can become an opportunistic pathogen and spread throughout the lungs if immune system is distrupted
46
Q

what can be a result of the immune system attacking malassezia?

A
  • eczema
  • dandruff
47
Q

describe what happens in soil regarding fungi?

A
  • live on dead organic matter - decomposing them and returning nutrients to soil to improve soil fertility
48
Q

what are mycorrhizae?

A
  • mutualistic partnerships between between plant roots and fungi
  • occurs when various species of mould attach themselves to roots of plants
49
Q

why is the relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and plants considered mutualistic?

A
  • plant feeds itself by photosynthesis and supplies carbohydrates to the fungus
  • fungus sustains relationship by extending mycelium into soil - anchors plant and increases surface area for capturing water from dry soils and minerals from poor soils
50
Q

what surfaces do moulds thrive in?

A
  • surfaces on damp homes
  • humid air in bathrooms and kitchens provides temperatures for mould to flourish
51
Q

what fungi are used as food and why are they beneficial?

A
  • mushrooms, morels and truffles
  • low in fat
  • contain almost no cholesterol
  • rich in B vitamins
52
Q

what fungus is mycoprotein derived from and how is it grown?

A
  • fusarium venenatum
  • grown by fermentation
53
Q

what industries use fungi as a basis and which fungi do they use?

A
  • baking and brewing (Saccharomyces)
  • preparation of cheese (penicillin roqueforti)
54
Q

what fungus was the antibiotic penicillin derived from?

A

penicillin notatum

55
Q

what is beneficial about the fungi claviceps pupurea?

A
  • contains number of alkaloids
  • controls haemorrhage during child birth
56
Q

what fungus is mevinolin derived from?

A

Aspergillus terreus

57
Q

what role does mevinolin play in terms of medicines?

A

basis for a number of statin medications that are used to treat high cholesterol

58
Q

what does aspergillum niger produce in commercial applications?

A

citric acid

59
Q

what role do fungi play in nature?

A

decomposers in carbon cycle - recycle nutrients from dead plants and animals back into soil

60
Q

what fungi caused the potato blight and describe its effect

A
  • phytophthora infestans
  • indirect effect on humans, caused starvation
61
Q

what are other indirect effects on humans caused by fungi?

A
  • spoil fruits, vegetables and other fruit stuff - economic impact
  • cause dry rot (merilus lacrymans)
  • wet rot (coniophora cerebella)
62
Q

describe the detrimental effect of aspergillus flavus

A
  • grows on stored nuts and grains
  • produces chemical called aflatoxin which is poisonous and causes liver cancer in humans - lethal if larger dose
63
Q

how does aspergillum flavus enter the body?

A

consume nuts or grains that are contaminated

64
Q

what fungi induce animal and human diseases?

A
  • mycoses
  • superficial mycoses (surface of body)
  • systematic mycoses (within body)
65
Q

what are examples of superficial mycoses?

A
  • hair and nail fungal infections
  • ringworm and athletes foot (trichophyton mould)
  • thrush (candida)
66
Q

what fungus causes cryptococcosis?

A

cryptococcus neoformans

HNC Applied Science in Biology and Chemistry (7 decks)

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