Fungi drawing

ADVERTISEMENTS: In this article we will discuss about the structure of fungal cell. This will also help you to draw the structure and diagram of the fungal cell. (a) The Cell Wall of the Fungal Cell: The composition of cell wall is variable among the different groups of fungi or between the different species of the same group. In the majority of fungi, the wall lacks cellulose but contains a form of chitin known as the fungus cellulose which is strictly not identical with insect chitin. ADVERTISEMENTS: The suggested formula for fungus chitin is (C 22 H 54 N 21) n. Electron microscope studies reveal that chitin occurs as elongated variously oriented microfibrillar units. These are laid down in layers and form the basis of the structural rigidity of fungal cell walls. The microfibril layers generally run parallel to the surface. Associated with the microfibrillar components is the nonfibrillar material. The chief chemical constituents are various polysaccharides, but proteins, lipids besides other substances have also been reported. In the lower fungi, the biflagellate Oomycetes are said to be distinct from all over fungi m the cellulose nature of the cell wall. De Bary reported true cellulose in Peronospora and Saprolegnia. Precise analysis of the cell wall of Phytophthora and Pythium by Bartnicki-Garcia (1966), Mitchell and Sabar (1968) has revealed that cellulose is a minority component or even absent altogether. On the other hand, glucan predominates in their walls. Thus...

I like to look at the natural world but have a hard time slowing down to see anything unless I draw and/or identify it. Drawing allows me to see details I don’t see at first glance. Struggling to find a name reveals information from many sources that encourages me go back and look again. My interests tend to combine art and science, both of which require taking notes about concentrated observations. I enjoy drawing mushrooms. They have the most unusual sculptural shapes with colors, patterns and textures unlike any others I find in the woods. I even like all the different shades of brown and gray. I am interested in their ecological niche and want to identify them. However, I find fungi hard to name. And of course as soon as I learn a name it changes. Plants are much easier to identify. In any case, I really like to look at fungi and appreciate forays and classes where someone else names them. And, if I am lucky, I can take some home before they get thrown away. I am not confident enough to pick any to eat. The state forest behind my condo is filled with beautiful mushrooms. I have hundreds of photos in situ (mostly unnamed) and will gather a few to draw at home. Sometimes I meet people from other parts of the world who really know their edible mushrooms. They get upset when they see the ones I am carrying and will point to my collection to say: “poison, poison, poison.” I quickly say: “no, no, drawing, drawing, drawing.” After I take my selected mushrooms home I often hav...

\( \newcommand\) • • • • • • Fungi are unicellular or multicellular thick-cell-walled heterotroph decomposers that eat decaying matter and make tangles of filaments. Key Points • Fungal cell walls are rigid and contain complex polysaccharides called chitin (adds structural strength) and glucans. • Ergosterol is the steroid molecule in the cell membranes that replaces the cholesterol found in animal cell membranes. • Fungi can be unicellular, multicellular, or dimorphic, which is when the fungi is unicellular or multicellular depending on environmental conditions. • Fungi in the morphological vegetative stage consist of a tangle of slender, thread-like hyphae, whereas the reproductive stage is usually more obvious. • Fungi like to be in a moist and slightly acidic environment; they can grow with or without light or oxygen. • Fungi are saprophyte heterotrophs in that they use dead or decomposing organic matter as a source of carbon. Key Terms • glucan: any polysaccharide that is a polymer of glucose • ergosterol: the functional equivalent of cholesterol found in cell membranes of fungi and some protists, as well as, the steroid precursor of vitamin D2 • mycelium: the vegetative part of any fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, threadlike hyphae, often underground • hypha: a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus that is the main mode of vegetative growth • septum: cell wall division between hyphae of a fungus • thallus: vegetative body of a fungus • saprophy...