Fungi {sing. fungus (L.) = sphongos (Gr.) – sponge} are a kingdom of usually multicellular, eucaryotic, spore-producing, achlorophyllous organisms with absorptive nutrition that generally reproduce both sexually and asexually and whose usually filamentous, branched somatic structures, known as hyphae, typically are surrounded by cell walls. Currently, over 1.5 million species …
Read More »Slime Molds: The Most Charismatic and Clever Single Cell You’ll Meet Today!
Slime mold or slime mould is an informal name given to several kinds of unrelated eukaryotic organisms that can live freely as single cells, but can aggregate together to form multicellular reproductive structures. Slime molds were formerly classified as fungi but are no longer considered part of that kingdom. Although not forming …
Read More »Classification of Life: The Three Domain System
The word “Life” refers to the process of organisms which grow by a metabolic system. Generally, organisms are metabolized, have an ability to grow, react, reproduce, move, adjust and evolve . The Earth is 4.6 billion years old and microbial life is thought to have first appeared between 3.8 and …
Read More »Basidiomycetes: Characteristics & Classification
The fungi comprising the phylum Basidiomycota commonly are known as basidiomycetes. It is a large phylum that includes forms commonly known as mushrooms, boletes, puffballs, earthstars, stinkhorns, birds-nest fungi, jelly fungi, bracket or shelf fungi, and rust and smut fungi. Salient features Habit and habitat Both parasite and saprophytic. Some …
Read More »Ascomycetes: Characteristics & Classification
Good to know The imperfect stage of Penicillium in which it passes most part of its life cycle is sclerotium. One celled ascomycetes is Saccharomyces cerevisae. One celled lower fungi is Synchytrium endobioticum. Ascomyectes- Powdery mildew. Basidiomycetes- Usually no sexual reproduction. Deuteromycetes- Imperfect fungi. Imperfect stage- Asexual reproduction…anamorphic fungi…mitosporic …
Read More »Introduction to Protein: Characteristics with Structures
The word protein refers to a type of molecule in food that can be broken down into amino acids. They are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. Protein accounts on average about 1/4th to 1/3rd of …
Read More »Algae: An Introduction
Phycology or algology is the study of algae. The word ‘Phycology’ is derived from the Greek word ‘Phykos’ meaning seaweed. The algae are thallophytes (plants lacking roots, stems and leaves) that have chlorophyll as their primary photosynthetic pigment and lack a sterile covering of cells around their reproductive cells or …
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