Fungi, Soil, Plants, Protists

Fungi Structure

hyphae

• Long branching thread like structures that make up the fungal body

Mycelium

• Mass of interconnected hyphae that forms the vegetative body of the fungus

• A vast underground network similar to the root of a plant

Robert Hooke

• helped to distinguish fungi from other micrioorganisms

Pier Antonio micheli

• First scientists to systematically study fungal reproduction

• Discovered that fungal spores could grow into new fungi

• Published Nova planetarium Genera

Christian Hendrik Persoon

• Classified thousands of fungal sepcies

• Helped establish mycology as a scientific discipline

Historical uses of fungi

• Fermentation

• Traditional medicine

• Antibiotic discovery

• Mycoremediation

Modern uses

• Pharmaceuticals

• Food industry

• Biodegradation and biofuels

Determining Postmortem Interval (PMI)

Certain fungi grow at predictable stages of decomposition helping estimate time since death

Fungal spores as trace evidence

Unique fungal spores found on a suspect can link them to a crime scene

Fungal ID in soil analysis

Soil fungi vary by location and can help pinpoint where a body or object has been

Toxins and poisoning cases

Some fungi produce lethal toxins and can be analyzed in poisoning cases

Fungal bioterrorism investigations

Detection of fungi used in bio attacks or illegal drug production