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The English word fungus is directly adopted from the Latin fungus (mushroom), used in the writings of Horace and Pliny. [10] This in turn is derived from the Greek word sphongos (σφόγγος 'sponge'), which refers to the macroscopic structures and morphology of mushrooms and molds; [11] the root is also used in other languages, such as the German Schwamm ('sponge') and Schimmel ('mold').
More recently, scholars have added a third type of interaction, where living things, whether animals, [6] plants, [7] fungi or microbes function as participants. This makes the relationships bidirectional, explicitly implying various forms of symbiosis in a complex ecology.
This list is not exhaustive and does not contain many fungi that, although not deadly, are still harmful. For a less-detailed list of fungi that include non-deadly poisonous species, see List of poisonous fungi.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fungi and mycology: . Fungi – "Fungi" is plural for "fungus". A fungus is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes unicellular microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as multicellular fungi that produce familiar fruiting forms known as mushrooms.
Prototaxites / ˌ p r oʊ t oʊ ˈ t æ k s ɪ t iː z / is an extinct genus of terrestrial fungi dating from the Late Silurian until the Late Devonian periods. [1] [2] Prototaxites formed large trunk-like structures up to 1 metre (3 ft) wide, reaching 8 metres (26 ft) in length, [3] made up of interwoven tubes around 50 micrometres (0.0020 in) in diameter, making it by far the largest land ...
Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. [1] Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and infection.
Fungi have appeared, too, from time to time, in literature and art. Fungi create harm by spoiling food, destroying timber, and by causing diseases of crops, livestock, and humans. Fungi, mainly moulds like Penicillium and Aspergillus, spoil many stored foods. Fungi cause the majority of plant diseases, which in turn cause serious economic losses.
Some fungi can cause extensive discolourations when luxuriantly developed. A striking example is Xanthoriicola physciae on Xanthoria parietina, which can give the host a soot-spattered appearance and potentially reduce its photosynthetic area to the point of local death. [3] In contrast, other lichenicolous fungi have very localised effects.