This group of organisms was previously classified as plants. Currently, fungi, numbering about 120 thousand species, are isolated in an independent kingdom, since they differ from bacteria, plants and animals in a number of biological properties.
Fungal cells, unlike bacteria, are eukaryotes. They are distinguished from plants by the absence of chlorophyll and the use of ready-made organic matter for nutrition, that is, by the type of nutrition they are heterotrophs. The reserve nutrient in mushrooms is glycogen, and not starch, which is characteristic of most plants. According to the method of nutrition (absorption) and unlimited growth, fungi approach plants. With animals they are brought together by the fact that urea is involved in the metabolism. Mushrooms are also characterized by the formation of a pronounced cell wall, reproduction by spores, immobility in the vegetative state, etc.
The classification of fungi is based on the methods of reproduction and morphological features.
The fungi kingdom Mycetalia, Fungi, Mycota is divided into two half-kingdoms: lower fungi (Myxobionta) and higher fungi (Mycobionta).
Lower fungi are characterized by the presence of rudimentary as well as unicellular mycelium. These include mushrooms of the department Myxomycota with the subdivision Myxomycotina, which unites the class Phycomycetes (phycomycetes) - aquatic fungi.
Phycomycetes class includes about 700 species of fungi. Phycomycetes have a well-developed unicellular non-septate (having no partitions) multinuclear mycelium. Mushrooms of this class are subdivided into the order of Mucorales Mucorales, the Mysogasaeae family, which unites the main genera Mucor, Rhizopus and Thamnidium, which are the causative agents of defects (spoilage) of dairy and other products.
Higher mushrooms include spore-forming yeasts, as well as fungi characterized by multicellular mycelium. Cells have one nucleus, many have two or more.
The sub-kingdom of higher fungi includes the department true (real) fungi (Eumycota), the subdivision true fungi (Eumycotina), which combines three classes: Ascomycetes - ascomycetes, or marsupial fungi, Basidiomycetes - basidiomycetes, or basidiomycetes, and the class of imperfect fungi (Deuteromycetes - deuteromycetes, fungi imperfecti).
Ascomycete class (from lat. ascus- bag + Greek. myces- mushroom) unites more than 30 thousand species. characteristic feature for the whole class is sexual sporulation and the presence in cells (bags) usually 8 endogenous spores (ascospores), sometimes 4 or 2. The class Ascomycetes includes the order Endomycetales, which includes the family Endomycetaceae, which includes non-mycelial unicellular spore-forming fungi called yeasts, in particular yeasts of the genus Saccharomyces. These yeasts are used in the manufacture of bread, wine, beer, alcohol, etc. Spore-forming yeasts also include lactic yeasts of the species Saccharomyces lactis and S. casei.
Class Basidiomycetes (from the Greek. basidion- small base, foundation + myces- mushroom) combines more than 20 thousand species of fungi with a developed septate mycelium. The main organ of sporulation in them are club-like structures - basidia (homolog of asca). From the basidiospores, the primary (haploid) mycelium develops, which, as a result of the fusion of hyphae, gives the secondary (diploid) mycelium with the fusion of nuclei, i.e., sexual reproduction begins.
The class of imperfect fungi includes more than 25 thousand fungi that do not have sexual sporulation. They have a developed multicellular mycelium. Non-spore-forming yeasts are also included in this class.
The absence of a sexual cycle in imperfect fungi forces researchers to classify fungi into orders, families, and genera only on the basis of morphology. Therefore, several classifications have been proposed for mushrooms of this class.
According to the nature of conidial sporulation, the class of deuteromycetes is divided into several orders, among which the hyphomycelial (Hyphomycetales) fungi (from the Greek. hype- cloth + myces- mushroom) and Protoascales (protoascale mushrooms). The order of hyphomycelial fungi includes the Moniliaceae family, which includes the mold genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Catenularia, as well as the milk mold Geotrichum (Oidium, Endomyces) lactis, which are frequent causative agents of defects in dairy products.
Mushrooms- one of the largest and most prosperous groups of organisms. These are eukaryotes that do not have chlorophyll, and therefore, they feed on ready-made organic substances, like animals, and glycogen is a reserve nutrient. However, they have a rigid cell wall, they are not able to move, like plants, so they were allocated to a special kingdom.
Mushroom reproduction happens in three ways:
Widely known hat mushrooms- chanterelles, fly agaric, white, milk mushrooms. Their fruiting bodies are represented by a stem and a cap, and consist of tightly fitting mycelium filaments. Hats are dyed. There are tubular cap mushrooms, in which the lower layer of the cap is formed by tubules ( porcini, boletus) and lamellar, with a lower layer of plates (russula, chanterelles). Millions of spores are formed in tubules and plates.
mold mushrooms- mucor and penicillium, develop on food residues, in soil, manure, on fruits. Penicillium produces substances that have a detrimental effect on bacteria. They are isolated and used to treat inflammatory diseases. This group also includes yeast - which can form colonies, this is used in baking.
Useful value of mushrooms:
Saprophytic fungi, together with soil bacteria, influence the formation of the soil, as they decompose organic matter to inorganic.
Together with bacteria, saprophytic fungi are used to treat wastewater.
One of the most ancient uses of mushrooms is fermentation.
The most famous varieties of cheese are the product of the simultaneous work of bacteria and various types of fungi.
Obtaining antibiotics - for example, penicillin.
Some mushrooms are the most convenient objects for research and genetic engineering.
They are a cheap source of feed protein.
Harmful value of mushrooms:
Saprophytic fungi, settling on food and various organic materials, can cause spoilage.
causative agents of various diseases.
Mushroom body represented by mycelium, or mycelium, and consists of thin branching threads called hyphae. Mushrooms reproduce asexually by spores, parts of mycelium, or by budding. In some species, sexual reproduction is possible. Sexual reproduction occurs with the formation of gametes in special organs - antheridia and archegonia.
According to the structure of the mycelium mushrooms divided into lower and higher.
Mycelium lifespan lower mushrooms is several days. Their hyphae do not have partitions and are giant highly branched cells with numerous nuclei. An example of such fungi is mucor, or capitate mold. It is often found in the form white cannon on perishable vegetables, fruits, berries, bread. Hence the name "mold mushrooms". They live on soil and foods rich in carbohydrates. On the mycelium of mucor, black rounded heads are noticeable - sporangia, in which spores are formed. They serve for asexual reproduction. Mucor can also reproduce by dividing the mycelium.
Mycelium cap mushrooms located in the soil, and on its surface forms a large fruiting body, consisting of a leg (hemp) and a cap. The cap is designed to form spores. Its upper layer - the skin - is usually colored. The bottom layer is represented by plates agaric(volnushki, russula, milk mushrooms) or pierced with tubules in tubular mushrooms (boletus, boletus, boletus).
cap mushrooms are called symbiont fungi. It is known, for example, that mushrooms are found in pine and spruce forests, porcini mushrooms near birches, pines, firs and oaks. Hyphae of the fungus enter into symbiosis with the roots of trees (the so-called mycorrhiza, or mushroom root). The threads of the mycelium braid the roots and penetrate into them, replacing the root hairs of the tree. The mushroom picker absorbs water and mineral solutions from the soil and conducts them to the roots of the tree. In return, it receives organic substances (carbohydrates) that the plant forms during photosynthesis.
Mushrooms are of great importance in nature and economic activity person. Saprophytic fungi participate in the cycle of substances, decomposing plant residues and replenishing the supply of minerals in the soil. Yeasts are also saprophytes. They develop on a sugary environment and cause alcoholic fermentation. They are widely used in winemaking, brewing, baking, to obtain technical alcohol. Brewer's yeast is often prescribed to patients suffering from hypovitaminosis, as it contains thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic acid and other vitamins. Nutritional yeast contains up to 55% protein, which is similar in composition to meat proteins. V agriculture fodder yeast is used. Different kinds penicilla is used to make Roquefort and Camembert cheeses in order to give them a specific aroma and taste.
Many hat mushrooms(about 200 species) are edible and are human food. They contain many mineral salts and vitamins. Mushroom proteins make up to 30% of their mass, but only two-thirds are absorbed in the human digestive tract. Most often, white mushrooms, boletus, boletus, milk mushrooms, russula, chanterelles, boletus, honey mushrooms are eaten. Mushrooms and oyster mushrooms are artificially bred from hat mushrooms.
It must be borne in mind that poisoning with stale or old edible mushrooms, as well as poisonous (about 25 species are known), are extremely severe and can lead to death. Therefore, when picking mushrooms, one must be able to distinguish poisonous from edible. Most poisonous death cap, fly agaric, gall fungus, false chanterelles and false mushrooms.
house mushroom and tinder fungus destroy wood. Tinder fungus spores infect the tree through various damage to the trunk or branches and germinate. The resulting mycelium destroys the wood, making it rotten. The affected tree usually dies. The fruit body of the tinder fungus is perennial, shaped like a hoof. Spores are formed on its lower surface.
Mushrooms ( Mycota)
Mushrooms are heterotrophic organisms, the body of which is called mycelium (mycelium), consisting of individual threads - hyphae with apical (apical) growth and lateral branching. The mycelium penetrates the substrate and absorbs nutrients from it with the entire surface ( substrate mycelium), and is also located on its surface and can rise above the substrate (surface and aerial mycelium). Reproductive organs are usually formed on aerial mycelium.
There are non-cellular, or cenotic mycelium, devoid of partitions and representing, as it were, one giant cell with a large number of nuclei, and cellular, or septate mycelium, divided by partitions - septa into separate cells containing from one to many nuclei. For representatives of the classes of chytridiomycetes, oomycetes and zygomycetes, conventionally called lower mushrooms, non-cellular mycelium is characteristic. Everyone has higher mushrooms- ascomycetes, bisidiomycetes and deuteromycetes - cell mycelium.
The cell wall contains chitin. The reserve nutrient is glycogen (animal starch).
Fungi reproduce vegetatively, asexually and sexually.
According to the structure of the mycelium and the characteristics of sexual reproduction, six main classes of fungi are distinguished: Chytridiomycetes- chytridiomycetes, Zygomycetes- zygomycetes, Ascomycetes- ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes- basidiomycetes, Oomycetes- oomycetes and Deuteromycetes- deuteromycetes.
In medicine, from the class of ascomycetes, or marsupial fungi, baker's yeast and ergot are used, from the class of basidiomycetes - chaga (tinder fungus or birch fungus), from deuteromycetes - species of the genus penicillium.
A revolutionary event in the history of medicine was the discovery of the first antibiotic penicillin, obtained from fungi of the genus Penicillium. Penicillin is active against all staphylococcal infections and gram-positive bacteria and is almost non-toxic to humans. Despite the fact that at present many synthetic derivatives of penicillin have been introduced into medical practice, the basis for obtaining this medicinal raw material is industrial cultivation penicilla.
Chaga preparations have a stimulating and tonic effect on the body, have antibiotic properties against many microorganisms, cure gastritis, and promote the resorption of malignant tumors in the early stages of development.
Yeast used for a range of industries Food Industry(obtaining beer, wine, etc.), they are nutritious in themselves, as they contain proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins. Highest value for a person has Saccharomyces cerevisiae(baker's yeast). Yeast biomass is well absorbed by the human body, so yeast is specially grown for medicinal purposes. They are used in liquid form and in tablets.
Ergot is used as a source of alkaloids that cause contraction of smooth muscles used in gynecological practice.
Many mushrooms have valuable food and medicinal properties. The science of treating various diseases with mushrooms is called fungotherapy.
"Reserve substances" - the term is not too precise, if they denote substances that are stored for the future for their further use, since their origin and functions are not always unambiguous. Some antibiotics, such as polyacetylenes accumulated in large quantities, pigments and waste products and their resynthesis products after other biosynthetic processes, such as volutin, can also get into their number. In this case, we will only talk about reserve substances for direct use, i.e., carbohydrates, fats and urea.
Of the carbohydrates localized in fungal cells, they are characterized by glycogen, mannitol, and the disaccharide trehalose (or mycosis). The amount of glycogen in the fruiting bodies and mycelium of fungi can vary from 1.5 to 40% depending on the type of fungus and the age of the fruiting body. In young fruiting bodies and cultures of fungi, it is correspondingly higher by an order of magnitude than in old ones with mature spores.
Trehalose, a disaccharide (α-D-glucoside-α, D-glucoside), is usually found in small amounts, more often in tenths of a percent relative to the mass of dry mycelium, but sometimes its amount reaches 1-2%. Apparently, its use is associated with the accumulation of hexatomic alcohol, mannitol, which can accumulate up to 10-15% in the fruiting bodies of fungi, especially in the hymenium of basidiomycetes. It is found in significant quantities in species of the genus Boletus (B. scaber, B. aurantiacus, B. crassus). Mannitol is more characteristic of more mature mycelium and fruiting bodies, as can be seen from the example of Phallus impudicus fruiting bodies, in which it predominates over trehalose. Apparently, during the metabolism of trehalose in these fruiting bodies, mannitol can be synthesized. Both trehalose and mannitol among other organisms are characteristic mainly of insects.
Of other substances, the mycelium of fungi often contains a lot of fat, which accumulates in the form of teardrop-shaped inclusions, which can be consumed by fungi during growth or sporulation. In the young mycelium of Penicillium chrysogenum, its amount can reach up to 35%, while in the aging mycelium it drops to 4-5% of the mass of dry mycelium.
Mushroom fats typically have a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, oleic, linoleic, linolenic and others, liquid at room temperature, and a large number of unsaponifiable lipids, i.e. steroids. In the mycelium of Penicillium chrysogenum, the amount of ergosterol-type steroids reaches 1% of the mass of dry mycelium. There are reasons to believe that in some fungi, at certain stages of their development, steroids can account for up to 80% of the composition of their fat fraction, and often these are biologically active substances, toxins, or vitamins.
The accumulation of fats in fungi often depends on the age of the culture or on the composition of the nutrient medium, in particular on the presence of carbohydrates in it. As noted, with an increase in the concentration of glucose in the medium, the amount of fatty substances increases. Although there is no direct correlation between the accumulation of fats and an increase in the concentration of glucose, in order to double the amount of fatty substances in the mycelium of a wood-destroying fungus, it turned out to be necessary to increase the sugar concentration in the nutrient medium from 10 to 40% (Ripachek, 1967).
