Fungi’s are Eukaryotic organisms cells of which contain a nucleus and other organelles enclosed within membranes. These lack chlorophyll, hence are called Heterotrophs. Fungi’s cell wall is made up of Chitin (fungal cellulose). The study of fungi is called Mycology. Fungi are divided four types based on the way food is taken. These are
Saprophytes take food from dead organic matter and humus. Some saprophytes also grow as parasites. These are further divided into two types.
- Obligate saprophytes:This type of fungi grows only in dead and decaying matter and cannot attack a living organism.
- Facultative saprophytes:Some fungi’s are usually parasitic, that occasionally may live and grow as a saprophyte. Ex. Phytophthora
Parasitic fungi absorb nutrients from the living cells of another organism with the help of haustorium a special organ present in the fungi.
- Obligate parasites:Obligate parasitic fungi grow only in living organisms. Ex. Puccinia
- Facultative parasites: Some fungi’s are usually saprophytes that occasionally may live and grow as a parasite. Ex. Rhizopus
III. Symbiotic fungi:
Some fungi live in a mutalistic relationship with another organism, such as plant or an alga. Symbiotic fungi further divided two types based on the partnership in their mutalistic life.
- Lichen: Lichen is a composite organism that emerges from algae or cyanobacteria (or both) living among filaments of a fungus in a mutually beneficial (symbiotic) relationship. The whole combined life form has properties that are very different from properties of its component organisms. Lichen is symbiotic associations between fungi and green algae and occasionally blue green algae. Lichens do not have roots that absorb water and nutrients like in plants. Instead they produce their own food from sunlight, air, water, and minerals in their environment. They are not parasites on the plants they may grow on, but only use them as a substrate to grow on or in.
- Mycorrhiza: A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic (generally mutualistic, but occasionally weakly pathogenic) association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant. In a mycorrhizal association, the fungus colonizes the host plant’s roots, either intracellularly as in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF or AM), or extracellular as in ectomycorrhizal fungi. They are an important component of soil life and soil chemistry.
IV. Predaceous fungi: Carnivorous fungi or predaceous fungi are fungi that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and eating microscopic or other minute animals.
Reproduction: The fungal life cycle of the fungi has two main types of reproduction: sexual and asexual. Some fungi show only one known reproduction type. Asexual forms (anamorph) were often described separately and given different names than the sexual form (teleomoph). The complete form having both reproductive forms is called a holomorph. Fungi known only as anamorphs were previously grouped into the form-group Deuteromycetes (Fungi Imperfecti). This group is not used anymore, because with molecular phylogenetic techniques the systematic position of a fungus can be determined even if the sexual structures are not known.
Useful activities of fungi:
- Pioneer of plant life: Crustose Lichen is the only organisms that can decay a hard rock. Then the rock is slowly withered and organic materials are formed.
- Soil Fertility: Saprophyte fungi disintegrate the decaying organic matter and thus help in release of minerals which can be again absorbed by plants.
- As medicines: Several fungi are good sources of antibiotics, drugs, which inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Some important antibiotics produced from fungi are Penicillin from Penicillium notatum and Penicillium chrysogessum, Ergot from Claviceps purpurea.
- Control of insect-pests: Several fungi like Aschesosonia aleyroides, Isoria ferinosa and Empusa spulcharoies help in controlling the infection of insects on plants.
Harmful activities of fungi:
Many fungi are useful to human, at the same time fungi make lot of harmful activities of living organism and storage of food. These are following
- Fungi cause many plant diseases Rust of Wheat, Late blight of potato, Red rot of sugarcane etc.
- Some fungi spoilage the stored food.
- Aspergillus is responsible for Human respiratory allergy.
- Amanita is highly toxic to human.
This section provides details about all the fungi species spotted in the Region.