Mycology refers to the study of fungi. Like plant cells, fungal cells have cell walls that contain chitin. Can you recall which phylum of Kingdom Animalia consists of species with exoskeletons made of chitin?
Most fungi with the exception of yeast are multicellular organisms. They consist of long filamentous structures known as hyphae that are collectively known as the mycelium (View image here).
Fungi perform a vital role in nutrient cycling which essentially involves the breakdown of large, complex dead materials into simpler, soluble forms that can be absorbed by the plants. Most species are inconspicuous with only some species such as mushrooms developing fruiting bodies. Fungi play an important role in food industries. For instance, yeast breaks down glucose in bread dough into ethanol and carbon dioxide. The trapped carbon dioxide gas expands on heating causing the bread dough to rise. In wine industries, yeast is added to help break down glucose in grape juice to form ethanol. Ethanol in the grape juice mixture is then distilled to form wine.
Overall equation is shown below.
glucose --> ethanol + carbon dioxide + small amount of energy
Pencillium fungi is also involved in the production of antibiotics penicillin used to treat syphilis and Staphylococcus infections.
There are four phyla of Kingdom Fungi, namely the Zygomycota (Bread mold), Ascomycota (Sac Fungi), Basidiomycota (Club fungi) and Deuteromycota (Fungi Imperfecti).
Rhizopus nigrans - Black bread mold that grows on bread as a substratum. View image here.
Left: Phylum Asocomycota. A sac like ascus is produced during sexual reproduction. Notable fungi that belongs to this phylum include Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Penicillium spp. View image here