Biology 4218A Lecture Notes - Contact Inhibition, Ecological Relationship, Wood-Decay Fungus
2 Jul 2013
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Document Summary
Use the energy stored in plant and animal biomass to create their mass. Abiotic substances: basic inorganic and organic compounds of environment. Decomposers/saprobes: heterotroph organisms that break down the complex compounds of dead organisms. Majority of substrata that decay-organisms attack represent the garbage of nature". Weight of leaves formed by single tree calculated = 2 tons over a 10 year period. Hardwood forest = 1 2 tons of leaves/branches are dropped per acre annually. Plants and fungi to land together 400 million years ago: mycorrhizae improvement of plant growth, lichens initial colonization of rocks, food source for animal. Fruiting structure = disseminate spores by wind or animals. Mycelium = elongate hyphal cells, branching pattern related to resource availability. Rhizomorph = composed of amassed hyphae, organized into a conducting structure. Fungi obtain their nutrients by the secretion of extracellular enzymes into the environment. Fraction of useful resources being released into environment.
