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    Ecology of Fungi

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    Safitri Rya Angraini
    Fungi play several important ecological roles. As decomposers, fungi break down organic materials in the environment and return nutrients to the soil. Many fungi also form symbiotic relationships with other organisms. For example, mycorrhizal fungi form mutualistic relationships with plant roots where both benefit from increased access to nutrients and water. Lichens also represent a mutualism where a fungus grows with a photosynthetic organism. Some fungi are parasites that damage or kill their host, while others have mutualisms with insects like ants and beetles. Fungi additionally serve as a food source for many animals and are used in foods like soups and chips.

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    Ecology of Fungi

    Uploaded by

    Safitri Rya Angraini
    27 views3 pages
    Fungi play several important ecological roles. As decomposers, fungi break down organic materials in the environment and return nutrients to the soil. Many fungi also form symbiotic relationships with other organisms. For example, mycorrhizal fungi form mutualistic relationships with plant roots where both benefit from increased access to nutrients and water. Lichens also represent a mutualism where a fungus grows with a photosynthetic organism. Some fungi are parasites that damage or kill their host, while others have mutualisms with insects like ants and beetles. Fungi additionally serve as a food source for many animals and are used in foods like soups and chips.

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    Fungi play several important ecological roles. As decomposers, fungi break down organic materials in the environment and return nutrients to the soil. Many fungi also form symbiotic relationships with other organisms. For example, mycorrhizal fungi form mutualistic relationships with plant roots where both benefit from increased access to nutrients and water. Lichens also represent a mutualism where a fungus grows with a photosynthetic organism. Some fungi are parasites that damage or kill their host, while others have mutualisms with insects like ants and beetles. Fungi additionally serve as a food source for many animals and are used in foods like soups and chips.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    27 views3 pages

    Ecology of Fungi

    Uploaded by

    Safitri Rya Angraini
    Fungi play several important ecological roles. As decomposers, fungi break down organic materials in the environment and return nutrients to the soil. Many fungi also form symbiotic relationships with other organisms. For example, mycorrhizal fungi form mutualistic relationships with plant roots where both benefit from increased access to nutrients and water. Lichens also represent a mutualism where a fungus grows with a photosynthetic organism. Some fungi are parasites that damage or kill their host, while others have mutualisms with insects like ants and beetles. Fungi additionally serve as a food source for many animals and are used in foods like soups and chips.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Ecology of Fungi

    Fungi as Decomposers

    Although decomposers, such as fungi, are generally located at the bottom of food chains, food webs,
    and energy pyramids, decomposers in the biosphere are vital for the health of the environment.

    Try it, you can imagine that organic waste that is thrown into the ground can not be broken down. It will
    pile up and smell really bad , right? Luckily there are several types of mushrooms that can act as
    decomposers. These fungi can decompose plant debris, animal carcasses and other organic materials
    and the results of their decomposition are returned to the soil so that they can fertilize the soil. One of
    them is Pilobolus mushroom.

    Symbiotic Relationships of Fungi

    Many fungi are involved in symbiotic relationships.

    Parasites

    Some fungi are parasites. They are specialized to penetrate a host and break down the host’s tissues.
    Parasitic fungi often cause illness and may eventually kill their host.

    Ex: the white parasitic fungus named Cordyceps is shown here growing on its host—a dark brown moth.
    Mutualism

    Two common mutualistic relationships involving fungi are mycorrhiza (fungi and plant roots) and lichen
    (fungi and either cyanobacteria or green algae).

     A mycorrhiza is a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and a plant. The fungus grows in or
    on the plant roots. The fungus benefits from the easy access to food made by the plant. The
    plant benefits because the fungus puts out mycelia that help absorb water and nutrients.

     A lichen is an organism that results from a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and a
    photosynthetic organism. The other organism is usually a cyanobacterium or green alga. The
    fungus grows around the bacterial or algal cells. The fungus benefits from the constant supply of
    food produced by the photosynthesizer. The photosynthesizer benefits from the water and
    nutrients absorbed by the fungus. Figure below shows lichen growing on a rock.

    Some fungi also have mutualistic relationships with insects. For example:

     Leafcutter ants grow fungi on beds of leaves in their nests. The fungi get a protected place to
    live. The ants feed the fungi to their larvae.
     Ambrosia beetles bore holes in tree bark and “plant” fungal spores in the holes. The holes in the
    bark give the fungi an ideal place to grow. The beetles harvest fungi from their “garden.”

    Fungi as a Food Source

    The fruiting bodies of the fungi provide food for a very wide range of animals, from insects, slugs, and
    snails to rodents and larger mammals, such as deer, wild boars, and humans.

    Mushrooms can also be used for food. If you like to eat Asian food, you can find mushrooms in soups or
    even as chips. Mushrooms that are usually used as food are Auricularia polytricha (ear mushrooms),
    Volvariella volvaceae (edible mushrooms), and Pleurotus astreatus.

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