FUNGI AND ITS ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

Fungi is a heterotrophic, saprophytic organism that uses organic matter as an energy source. This means that they cannot synthesis their own food and have to depend on external food supply while acting as decomposers.

 

Although, fungi is classified as plants, it is more closely related to animal,  the animal kingdom and fungi are “sisters group”, both are heterotrophic from the same ancestral stock called Choanoflagellates (flagellated protists). Plant and fungi are only related because they share a symbiotic relationship.

 A study of their evolution patterns showed that they evolved from aquatic to terrestrial organisms, and most of them are thermophilic in nature (grow at high temperatures) while others are largely facultative (survives on living and dead cell). They also exhibited changes in patterns of reproduction which is usually by sexual, asexual and spore formation.

Fungi exhibit certain characteristic, below are some,

-        Are eukaryotic organism with nuclei and mitochondria

-         Depends on other organisms or environment for nutrients

-         Are both multicellular and unicellular in nature, eg yeast.

-         Have filamentous bodies, 

-         Body walls are made of chitin which is tough and flexible

-         Lack true root stems and leaves.

-     Exhibit nuclear mitosis, unlike in plants and other eukaryotic where the nuclear envelope disintegrates in prophase, and repairs in telophase. In fungi, nuclear envelope remains intact from prophase to anaphase. As a result, the spindle fibers drags chromosome to the opposite poles of the nucleus rather than opposite poles of the cell. Mitosos, is complete when nuclear envelope pinches in two.

                     ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF FUNGI

IN MEDICINE

-  Are employed in the commercial production of antibiotic such penicillin derived from mould.

-     Used to make birth control agents.  For example, ergot (disease caused by fungi in higher plants), can be used in controlled doses to induce labour. It can also be used to lower blood pressure, ease migraine headaches.

-   They are pathogens in human and are responsible for diseases such as athlete foots, ring warm and histoplasmosis.

-   Mushroom is important in promoting good health, although most of them are poisonous.

-     Cancers has been treated from compounds isolated from fungi.

IN INDUSTRY

- Used as biological pest control agent to replace pesticide, e.g Fungicide.

-       Used to decolorize chemicals

-        Used as biological indicators

-         Used in bio-remediation of hydrocarbon

-         Causes food spoilage in industry

-     Used in manufacture of industrial chemicals, e.g, Aspergillus is used to manufacture, gallic acid, citric acid and gluconic acid, it is also used to is used to ferment soy sauce.

-    Some edible fungi such as the mushroom serve as food for human; some others produce alkaloids that are used as poisons or hallucinogen.

-         Used to make beer, bread and wine through fermentation.

-         Used to produce cheese.

-         Caterpillar fungus is used to produce tonic in china.

      -    Many fungus are pathogen of crop, they cause extensive damage to   crop and reduce yield, e.g, smut and rust disease of cereal