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Different marine habitats support very different fungal communities. Fungi can be found in niches ranging from ocean depths and coastal waters to mangrove swamps and estuaries with low salinity levels. [5] Marine fungi can be saprobic or parasitic on animals, saprobic or parasitic on algae, saprobic on plants or saprobic on dead wood. [2]
Most of the fungal body consists of microscopic threads, called hyphae, extending through the substrate in which it grows. The mycelia of microfungi produce spores that are carried by the air, spreading the fungus. [citation needed] Many microfungi species are benign, existing as soil saprotrophs, for example, largely unobserved by humans.
Chytrids are aquatic fungi, though those that thrive in the capillary network around soil particles are typically considered terrestrial. [7] [4] The zoospore is primarily a means of thoroughly exploring a small volume of water for a suitable substrate rather than a means of long-range dispersal. [19]
Most protists are too small to be seen with the naked eye. They are highly diverse organisms currently organised into 18 phyla, but not easy to classify. [1] [2] Studies have shown high protist diversity exists in oceans, deep sea-vents and river sediments, suggesting large numbers of eukaryotic microbial communities have yet to be discovered.
Marine fungi can also be found in sea foam and around hydrothermal areas of the ocean. [112] A diverse range of unusual secondary metabolites is produced by marine fungi. [113] Mycoplankton are saprotropic members of the plankton communities of marine and freshwater ecosystems.
Spongiforma squarepantsii is a species of fungus in the family Boletaceae, genus Spongiforma. Found in Malaysia, it was described as new to science in 2011. It produces sponge-like, rubbery orange fruit bodies that have a fruity or musky odour. The fruit bodies reach dimensions of 10 cm (3.9 in) wide by 7 cm (2.8 in) tall.
The rare Texas Star Mushroom has been spotted once again at Inks Lake State Park, officials announced in a Dec. 18 Facebook post. “The fungus is entirely unique to Texas, with the exception of ...
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').