The overall general characteristics of fungi is given under each headings. The reproduction process is given brief along with diagrams. The contents are taken from the references given.

1. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF FUNGI
DONE BY
RAJA RAJESWARI.S
I MSC MICROBIOLOGY

2. TOPICS
Etymology
Introduction
Origin
General Characteristics of Fungi
References

3. ETYMOLOGY
• The word fungus (plural fungi) is derived
from the Latin word ‘fungus’ meaning
(“mushroom”) which in turn is derived from
the Greek word ‘sphongos’ to describe
eukaryotic organisms that are spore-bearing,
have absorptive nutrition, lack chlorophyll,
and reproduce both sexually and asexually.
• The study of fungi is called as mycology.
• The person who studies about fungi are
called as mycologists.
• The study of fungal toxins and their effects is called as
mycotoxicology.
• The diseases called by fungi in animals are called as mycoses.

4. INTRODUCTION
• Fungus is a member of large group of eukaryotic
organisms that includes microorganisms such as
yeasts, moulds and mushrooms.
• These organisms comes separately under the
kingdom Fungi, which is separate from plants,
animals, protists and bacteria.
• This is because of the difference in the fungal cell
wall which consists of chitin whereas others
consists of cellulose, peptidoglycan, etc.
• Mycology has often been regarded as a branch of botany, even though
it is a separate kingdom in biological taxonomy.
• Genetic studies have shown that fungi are more closely related to
animals than to plants.

5. ORIGIN
• Three billion years
• Hippocrates-
Cauterization.
• Tinder Fungi- “Surgeon’s
Agaric”.
• Hallucinogenic Fungi-
Heart of the Sahara desert
• Founder of Modern
Mycological Science- Pier
Antonio Micheli.
• Giacomo Bresadola-
taxonomy and
mycological diffusion.
Fig: Sculptures and etchings clearly
outlining mushrooms date back to 1300
BC is found in Mexico and Guatemala,
attributing to the Mayan civilization.

6. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF FUNGI
• ECOLOGY
• MORPHOLOGY
I. Size
II. Structure
III. Colony Morphology
• PHYSIOLOGY
I. Nutrition
II. Parameters
III. Antibiotic Susceptibility
• CLASSIFICATION
• REPRODUCTION

7. ECOLOGY
FUNGI
Saprophyte Parasite
• Heterotrophs
• Decomposers Predator Mutualistic
• Digest compounds

8. MORPHOLOGY
• Size- unicellular and multicellular.
• Structure a. cell wall
b. body/ vegetative part
i. Thallus
ii. Hyphae
c. nucleus and cell organelles
• Colony morphology
a. form
b. size
c. elevation
d. margin
e. surface
f. opacity
g. colour

9. PHYSIOLOGY
• Nutrition a. heterotrophic
i. carbon source
ii. nitrogen source
b. oxygen requirement
• Parameters
a. temperature
b. pH
c. light
• Antibiotic susceptibility
a. resistance
b. sensitive

10. CLASSIFICATION
I. Chytritiomycota
II. Zygomycota
III. Ascomycota
IV. Basidiomycota
V. Urediniomycota
VI. Ustilaginomycota
VII. Glomeromycota
VIII. Microsporidia
By International Society of
Protistologists (2005), fungi is classified
into 8 subclass viz.,

11. REPRODUCTION
• Sexual
• Asexual

13. ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
BUDDING

14. GERMINATION OF ASEXUAL SPORES

15. SEXUAL
REPRODUCTION

16. REFERENCES
1. Prescott’s ‘Microbiology’ by Joanne M. Willey, Linda M. Sherwood,
Christopher J. Woolverton, McGraw Hill international edition, eighth edition.
2. http://www.nios.ac.in/media/documents/dmlt/Microbiology/Lesson-51.pdf
3. MLG_104bis_2013_History_of_italian_mycology_Iparte.pdf
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8125/
5. ‘Microbiology’ by Michael J. Pelczar, E.C.S Chan, Noel R. Krieg, Tata
McGraw Hill, fifth edition.
6. International Society of Protistologists, adapted from: Adl, S. M., et al, 2005.
7. https://www.nicholls.edu/boil-ds/Biol156/Lectures/Fungi.pdf