BIO SCI 94 Lecture 16: Ch 32 Fungi

• School: UC-Irvine
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIO SCI 94
• Professor: Brad Hughes

Document Summary

Unique ability-absorb cellulose/lignin that make up wood. Mutualists-fungi live with other organisms, benefit hosts. Mutualistic fungi colonize roots of land plants. Fungi get sugar from plants give plant water/nutrients. Fungi live in guts of insect help with digestion. Some fungi cause horrible diseases in humans/crop plants. Fungi important to carbon cycle affect climate change. 2000 parasitic fungi species- cause human illness. Includes athlete"s foot, vaginitis, diaper rash, ringworm, pneumonia, thrush. Fungal infections uncommon compared to other illnesses caused by other organisms. Fungi-rusts, smuts, mildews, wilts, blights-cause billions of dollars of crop losses each year. Yeast used to make bread, cheese, soy sauce, tofu, beer, wine, other food. Fungi ferment cacao seeds to make chocolate. Fungi enzymes improve foods like fruit juice, candy, Mycorrhizal association between fungi and plants roots help plant growth. Experiments reveal without fungi plant growth suffers. Release of co2 from plants, animals, fungi from cellular respiration. Fungi digest lignin/cellulose carbon atoms recycle into glucose/co2.