微生物学微生物学 (26).docVIP

OverviewofFungi

Afterlearningthissection,youshouldbeableto:

Discusstheimportanceoffungiintheenvironmentaswellastheirpracticalimportance

P3

Thetermfungus(pl.,fungi)describeseukaryoticorganismsthatarespore-bearing,haveabsorptivenutrition,lackchlorophyll,andreproducebothsexuallyandasexually.

Scientistswhostudyfungiaremycologists,andthescientificdisciplinedevotedtofungiiscalledmycology.Thestudyoffungaltoxinsiscalledmycotoxicology,andthediseasescausedbyfungiinanimalsareknownasmycoses(s.,mycosis).

P45

Herewepresentsixmajorfungalgroups:Chytridiomycota,Zygomycota,Glomeromycota,Ascomycota,Basidiomycota,andMicrosporidia.

P6

Fungiareprimarilyterrestrialorganisms.Theyhaveaglobaldistributionfrompolartotropicalregions.

Fungiaresaprophytes,securingnutrientsfromdeadorganicmaterialbyreleasingdegradativeenzymesintotheenvironment.Fungiareimportantdecomposers.

Manyfungiarepathogenic,withover5,000speciesknowntoattackeconomicallyvaluablecropsandmanyotherplants.

About20newhumanfungalpathogensaredocumentedeachyear.

Conversely,fungialsoformbeneficialrelationshipswithotherorganisms.Forexample,thevastmajorityofvascularplantrootsformimportantassociationswithfungicalledmycorrhizae.

P7

Fungi,especiallyyeasts(single-celledfungi),areessentialtomanyindustrialprocessesinvolvingfermentation.

Examplesincludethemakingofbread,wine,beer,cheeses,andsoysauce.

Fungi,somemolds,arealsoimportantinthecommercialproductionofmanyorganicacids(citric,gallic)andcertaindrugs(ergometrine,),andinthemanufactureofmanyantibiotics(penicillin,griseofulvin)andtheimmunosuppressivedrugs.

Inaddition,fungiareimportantresearchtoolsinthestudyoffundamentalbiologicalprocesses.Cytologists,geneticists,biochemists,biophysicists,andmicrobiologistsregularlyusefungiintheirresearc