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Fungi – good guys or bad guys?
The Roles of Fungi
Diverse Roles of Fungi
1.
Pathogens: cause illness & disease in plants or
animals
Diverse Roles of Fungi
2. Decomposers: break down dead material & return
the organic material to the soil
If all the decomposers suddenly vanished, the soil would quickly
become depleted of nutrients & all life would cease to exist!
Mold in Capri Sun?!
Because Capri Sun
doesn’t contain
preservatives, mold
grows very easily!
Diverse Roles of Fungi
3. Food Source: mushrooms, bleu cheese, production
of soy sauce, bread, alcohol
Soy Sauce
Edible Mushrooms
Truffles
Yeast & Alcoholic Fermentation
Budding
Yeast
• This is what makes bread rise.
• CO2 makes the “holes” in the bread, & the alcohol
evaporates.
• Makes alcoholic beverages alcoholic.
• Alcohol stays in the beverage & the CO2 makes it bubble.
Diverse Roles of Fungi
4. Some Poisonous: can cause destruction of cells &
organ failure, neurological symptoms, &
gastrointestinal irritation
“Angel of Death”
Amanita muscaria
Diverse Roles of Fungi
5. Medicinal Purposes
a. Penicillin: toxin produced by the mold Penicillium
notatum that is widely used as an antibiotic. It kills
bacteria by interfering with its ability to synthesize cell
wall.
penicillin
bacteria
Penicillin was discovered in 1928 & was a HUGE deal!
Diverse Roles of Fungi
5. Medicinal Purposes
b. Cyclosporine: an immunosuppressant drug widely used in
organ transplant patients to reduce the activity of the
patient's immune system to decrease the risk of organ
rejection.
Cyclosporine is made by the
fungus Tolypocladium inflatum.
Diverse Roles of Fungi
6. Mutualistic Symbiotic Relationships
a. Lichens: not a single organism, but rather a combination of
2 organisms, an algae & a fungus.
The algae provides energy by
photosynthesis & the fungus
provides water & minerals to
the algae.
Lichen = Algae + Fungus
Lichens often grow on rocks or in environments where
few organisms can grow.
Diverse Roles of Fungi
6. Mutualistic Symbiotic Relationships
b. Mycorrhizae: plant roots entangled with fungal hyphae
The fungus releases nutrients
from the soil & aids in the
absorption of water by the
plant roots. The plant
provides energy by
photosynthesis to the fungus.
Mycorrhizae =
Plant Root + Fungus
About 90% of plants on
Earth participate in a
Mycorrhizal
relationship to survive!
Before you leave…
• Answer the following question on a sheet of
notebook paper (share!):
Knowing what you know about fungi & its various
roles in the environment, what do you think would
happen if all of the fungi on Earth suddenly vanished?
Do you think the effects would be positive or
negative? Explain!