Fungi Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Fungi?

Fungi are a major group of living organisms that play vital roles in the environment. They are found everywhere, from soil to water and even inside animals and plants. Fungi participate in important processes such as decomposition, nutrient cycling, and food webs. Without them, life on Earth would be drastically different. There are several different types of fungi: molds, mushrooms, yeasts, rusts and smuts. Molds produce spores which can survive harsh conditions like extreme cold or dryness; they reproduce by releasing these spores into the air where they settle on other surfaces such as food or soil. Mushrooms are generally larger than molds and have distinct shapes due to their spore-containing caps; some species may also glow in the dark. Yeasts consume sugar for energy and give off carbon dioxide gas which is used in breadmaking processes; without them we wouldn’t have bread. Rusts form bright orange patches on leaves while smuts cause black spots both of these fungal pathogens can damage plants if left unchecked. Fungi provide crucial services to humans too – one example being fermentation which produces alcohols like beer or wine. Other uses include antibiotic production (penicillin was first extracted from a fungus.), bioremediation (using fungi to clean up toxic spills) as well as development of new medicines/drugs for various diseases. The benefits that fungi offer us through their unique abilities truly demonstrate how essential these organisms are for our society today.