Fungi

= Fungi =



Basic:
The fungi species include mushrooms, rusts, smuts, puffballs, truffles, morels, molds, and yeasts, and a lot more uncommon species. There are about 70,000 species of fungi that have been recorded; however, some scientists believe that there is about 1.5 million species that may exist. Most fungi are invisible to the naked eye, and live in the soil, dead matter, and as symbiont's of plants, animals, or other fungi. Fungi perform an essential role in all ecosystems in decomposing organic matter and are essential in nutrient cycling and exchange. Most fungi become noticeable when the begin fruiting, either as mushrooms or molds. Fungi have been used as a common source of food but more recently, they are being used as antibiotics.

Function:
Fungi provide a crucial part of nature's continuous life cycle: fungi recycle dead organic matter into useful nutrients that other plants can use for their own needs. The fungus does not always wait for the biomatter to die, causing the fungus to be a parasite. Many plants are dependent on the help of a fungus to get their own nutrients, so they live in a symbiotic relationship which is called mycorrhizal association. A mycorrhizal association is a relationship between two objects where they both benefit from each other. Fungi digest food outside their bodies and then release enzymes into the surrounding environment, which are now in a form that the fungus can absorb it. The other organisms benefit from this action by absorbing materials digested by the fungi that are growing among their roots.

Reproduction:
Most fungi reproduce by releasing spores from a fruiting body, most common is the mushroom. The fruit releases spores into the air, which are carried by the wind to start the next generation. Around 100,000 species of fungi are divided into five phyla, based largely on the characteristics of their reproductive organs.

Structure:
The main body of most fungi is made up of fine, branching threads called hyphae. Each fungus will have a large number of these hyphae, all intertwining to make the mycelium. Mycelium is generally too fine to be seen by the naked eye, except where the hyphae are very closely packed together. The reason why you usually don't see the mycelium is because it is hidden deep within its food sources. The mycelium remains undetected until it develops one or more fruiting bodies, containing the reproductive spores.