1. Kingdom Fungi
© Lisa Michalek

2. Characteristics of Fungi
Some members of the Kingdom Fungi, such as molds and mushrooms, are very common and grow so rapidly that they sometimes appear overnight.
The first Fungi appeared on Earth about 430 million years ago.

3. Characteristics of Fungi
Fungi are Heterotrophic.
The stalk and cap of the mushroom are not green like the stem and leaves of a plant.
Plants appear green because they contain chlorophyll, the pigment that aids in photosynthesis.
Fungi do not contain chlorophyll.

4. Characteristics of Fungi
Fungi have Filamentous Bodies.
Plants are made of many cell and tissue types, but fungi are made of long, slender filaments.

5. Fungi Nutrition
Many fungi decompose nonliving organic matter, such as leaves, branches, dead animals, and waste.
Other fungi are parasites that absorb nutrients from living hosts.
Fungi often grow on human foods, such as bread and fruit but also are known to attack nonfood materials such as paper, cardboard, cloth, paint, and leather.

6. Fungus Plays an Important Role
Like bacteria many fungi are decomposer on Earth. In addition, many fungi provide foods for people. Some cause disease and some fight disease.

7. Fungi Nutrition
Some fungi are useful in baking, brewing and wine-making.
Others provide the flavor and aroma of certain cheeses. Do you like Blue Cheese? The streaks in blue cheese, are actually growths of penicillium roqueforti.
Many kinds of antibiotics, such as penicillin, are produced by fungi.
Penicillin G

8. Who doesn’t love Bread????
When you eat a slice of bread you benefit from the work of yeast. Bakers add yeast to bread dough to make it rise. Without yeast your bread would be flat and solid. Yuck!!!

9. Penicillin
Penicillin wasn't invented but discovered in 1928 when Scottish chemist Alexander Fleming was growing bacteria in a petri dish. To his surprise he noticed a spot of a bluish-green mold in one dish, He noticed that no bacteria were growing near the mold. A fungus named penicillium, produced a substance that killed the bacteria growing near it. Penicillin has saved millions of lives!

10. Mold
A mold is a type of fungus: a plant-like organism that does not use photosynthesis to produce food, but instead obtains it directly from its surroundings. Molds can display themselves in a variety of colors, such as the familiar green covering often seen on bread or fruit, but this is due only to the reproductive part of the organism — the fungal equivalent of flowers and fruit.

11. Fungal Infections
Athlete's foot causes symptoms that include red, dry, cracked, and itchy skin between the toes. Some people also have red, scaly bumps filled with pus on the bottoms and sides of their feet.

12. Fungal Infections
Ringworm of the head begins as a small bump or scaly patch that looks like dandruff. The pimple or patch becomes larger and the hair in the infected area can become brittle and break off. This can create scaly patches of baldness, but the hair will grow back. If you have ringworm on your arms, legs, or chest, you may see small, red spots that grow into large rings

13. Fungal Infections
Lots of kids get fungal infections. Kids love to share and hang out together. Some of these infections are contagious (say: kon-tay-jus), which means they easily spread from person to person. Close contact or sharing a comb or hairbrush with someone who has a fungus can spread the fungus from one person to another. Because fungi need a warm, dark, and humid place to grow, public showers, pools, locker rooms, and even the warmth of shoes and socks can give fungi the perfect opportunity to strike.

14. Are You ready to be totally grossed out!

15. Lamb Fungus 2013

16. Bottom Line
Most of us enjoy mushrooms in our salads, on our pizza or stuffed with cream cheese and sausage! Yum. Most of don’t enjoy athletes foot or ring worm, however, fungus has a place in this world for both good and bad.

17. Foldable
Fungus thrives in dark, cold places but can be found anywhere.
Fungi are larger than bacteria.
The discovery of penicillium has been one of the greatest benefits to man kind.
Fungi can cause ring worm, athletes foot and a variety of other annoying funguses for people and animals.
Keeping food in refrigerators can help slow down the growth of mold.
Fungi helps decompose organic matter.

18. Foldable
We use yeast in bread, which is a fungus to make it fluffy and delicious.
We enjoy eating mushrooms (some of us) but we need to be careful because some mushrooms are poisonous.
I guess fungi isn’t so bad!