Mycology comes from the Greek word μύκης meaning fungus. It is the branch of biology that focuses on the study of fungi. The word fungus is the name for organisms that get food by taking nutrients from another source. Seeing as mushrooms are fungi it is also partially the study of mushrooms. This includes their genetic and biochemical properties and their use and harm to humans. Humans use them for tinder (a material used for kindling), medicine(penicillin) and food(beer, wine and cheese). There are over 1.5 million species of fungi on the planet. These are studied to see how they reproduce, to determine if they are poisonous or edible, and to determine if they have industrial, medical or agricultural uses. The study of fungi and their characteristics is important to human lives because fungi contribute to the everyday lives of humans. If someone were to eat a piece of bread or drink some beer, they would encounter some fungi(yeast). The only reason we have many antibiotics and other medicines is because of fungi. Some diseases like athlete’s foot are caused by fungi. Fungi also help the trees which we desperately need. Fungi do not produce their own food by means of photosynthesis; they reproduce by means of spores(little seeds).
Fungi are a kingdom of organisms which share the following four characteristics:
1) Their main body is in the form of thin(one cell thick!) strands called mycelium.
While remaining only one cell thick, the hyphae grow new cells, elongate and branch repeatedly, forming a network of vegetative hyphae known as a mycelium.
2) They cannot manufacture their own food through photosynthesis; rather, the mycelium secretes enzymes which digest part of
their surroundings (a log, for example) and this is then absorbed by the mycelium.
3) Their cell walls are made mostly of chitin and similar compounds, not cellulose.
The cells of fungi are made of chitins, the same class of compounds that compose the exoskeletons of insects and crustaceans!
Mentor: Richard Brancato
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GENERAL OVERVIEW OF MYCOLOGY
Mycology comes from the Greek word μύκης meaning fungus. It is the branch of biology that focuses on the study of fungi. The word fungus is the name for organisms that get food by taking nutrients from another source. Seeing as mushrooms are fungi it is also partially the study of mushrooms. This includes their genetic and biochemical properties and their use and harm to humans. Humans use them for tinder (a material used for kindling), medicine(penicillin) and food(beer, wine and cheese). There are over 1.5 million species of fungi on the planet. These are studied to see how they reproduce, to determine if they are poisonous or edible, and to determine if they have industrial, medical or agricultural uses. The study of fungi and their characteristics is important to human lives because fungi contribute to the everyday lives of humans. If someone were to eat a piece of bread or drink some beer, they would encounter some fungi(yeast). The only reason we have many antibiotics and other medicines is because of fungi. Some diseases like athlete’s foot are caused by fungi. Fungi also help the trees which we desperately need. Fungi do not produce their own food by means of photosynthesis; they reproduce by means of spores(little seeds).Fungi are a kingdom of organisms which share the following four characteristics:
1) Their main body is in the form of thin(one cell thick!) strands called mycelium.
2) They cannot manufacture their own food through photosynthesis; rather, the mycelium secretes enzymes which digest part of
their surroundings (a log, for example) and this is then absorbed by the mycelium.
3) Their cell walls are made mostly of chitin and similar compounds, not cellulose.
4) They reproduce by means of spores.
Click here to learn more about mycology and the difference between fungi and mushrooms.