The Type of Fungi

Fungi are divided base on their life cycles,the presence or structure of their fruiting body and the arrangement of the type of spores produced.

There are three major groups of fungi:

1. Multicellular filamentous moulds
2. Macroscopic filamentous fungi will form a large fruiting bodies
3. Single cell microscopic yeasts

Multicellular filamentous are made up very fine thread or hyphae. Hyphae grow at the tip and divide repeatedly along their length creating long and branching chains. Hyphae will grow and interwining until they form a network of threads called as mycelium. Hyphae will branches grow into the air and spores form on these aerial branches. Spores are similar to seeds as they enable the fungus reproduce. Wind, rain or insect spread the spores. 

Microscopic filamentous fungi will grow by producing a mycelium below ground. This fungi differ from moulds because they produce visible fruiting bodies, like button mushroom or toadstools that hold the spores. Fruiting body made up of tightly packed hyphae which divide to produce the different parts of fungal structure, for example the cap and the stem. Gills underneath the cap are covered with spores and 10 cm diameter cap can produce up to 100 million spores per hour.

Different with other type of fungi, yeast are small, lemon shaped single cell are about the same size with red blood cells. The yeast multiply by budding a doughter cell off from the original parent cell. The example of yeast are saccharomyces, play an important role in the production of bread and in brewing. Other species of yeast such as Candida are opportunistic pathogens and cause infection in individuals that don't have immune system.