INTRODUCTION TO FUNGI
Fungi, diverse group of either single-celled or multicellular organisms that obtain food by direct absorption of nutrients. The food is dissolved by enzymes that the fungi secrete, is then absorbed through thin cell walls, and is distributed by simple circulation, or streaming, of the protoplasm. Together with bacteria, fungi are responsible for the decay and decomposition of all organic matter, and are found everywhere. Some are parasitic on living matter and cause serious plant and animal diseases. The study of fungi is called mycology.
Fungi were formerly classified as a division in the plant kingdom. They were thought of as plants that have no stems or leaves and that in the course of becoming food absorbers lost the pigment chlorophyll, which is needed for carrying out photosynthesis. Most scientists today, believe fungi belong to at least three kingdoms, including the Protozoa. Approximately 100,000 species of fungi are known, but many remain to be discovered.
Most fungi are composed of delicate protoplasm-containing tubes known as hyphae, which are frequently partitioned by dividing walls called septa. One or two nuclei are usually found in each hyphal cell, and protoplasm moves through a tiny pore in the centre of each septum. Hyphae grow by elongation at the tips and also by branching. The resulting profusion of hyphae is called the mycelium. Abundant development of the mycelium can result in the formation of large fruiting structures such as mushrooms and puffballs. Other types of massive hyphal structure enable some fungi to exist under difficult conditions or to spread to suitable nutritional sources. The cord-like strands of mycelium of the honey mushroom enable it to spread from the roots of one tree to another. Some fungi form resistant, more or less spherical, masses of mycelium, called sclerotia, which may be smaller than grains of sand or as large as cantaloupe melons.
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