From the lessons of biology, everyone knows about the kingdom of mushrooms. On earth, there are an incredibly large number of representatives of this huge family, including more than one hundred thousand species. Mushrooms are very different from each other: in appearance, habitat, there are poisonous and edible, dangerous and useful mushrooms. But what unites them is that all mushrooms have a mycelium and mycelium. And, as you know, mold is also a fungus. In this article we will talk about such a mushroom as mucor. To us, it is better known under the name white mold. And each of us must have met her more than once, perhaps even in his own kitchen. The fungus mucor lives in the upper layers of the soil, as well as on organic products. He also loves dark, humid and warm places. If you leave a small piece of bread in the kitchen, then after a while a fluffy white coating forms on it, which turns gray over time - this is the same mushroom mucor. If you look closely, you can see its structure. But it’s possible to see parts of the fungus fungus only under a microscope.
Mushroom mushroom: structure
It belongs to the genus of lower molds, class Zygomycetes. This is an aerobic mushroom, that is, for life and reproduction, it needs oxygen. Its mycelium is not divided into cells, but has many nuclei. This class includes over sixty species. All varieties of mushrooms of this species, as mentioned above, live in the upper layers of the soil, food, horse manure, and organic debris. Mucor mold is a parasite. His body resembles thin colorless hairs or cobwebs - this is a mycelium. Despite the fact that the body of the mycelium is very overgrown, in fact, it is one cell that contains many nuclei. On thin processes of mycelium (hyphae), heads of black color (sporangia) are formed. There are disputes in them.
Reproduction and nutrition
A mushroom mushroom propagates in two ways: asexually and sexually. The first method is more complicated, since the process of maturation of the mycelium in sporangia is longer. The shell of sporangia is called callose. It is very resistant to external aggressive environment. But under the influence of atmospheric moisture is destroyed, releasing billions of spores. The latter are so small that they can penetrate anywhere. They are always present in the air. Therefore, under favorable conditions, mold appears everywhere. During sexual reproduction, the filaments of the mycelium combine, forming a zygote. So a new mushroom appears. Mukor is a saprophyte mushroom, that is, it eats ready-made organic substances. It is also called the mushroom-scavenger, since after it there is no organic waste left. Sometimes such mushrooms appear on a still living, but already diseased organism, after the death of which the remains will be completely processed.
The danger of mushroom mucor
This fungus can be dangerous for both humans and animals. In humans, some types of this mold can trigger the onset of a disease such as mucoromycosis. Shallow spores of the fungus are dangerous for people prone to allergies. Beekeepers know firsthand the agony of beekeepers. Because hives are an ideal environment for life and intensive reproduction of this parasite. If hives are not processed on time, then a large number of bees can be lost, since the mushroom mushroom causes many diseases. Even because of the infection of grain, vegetables and fruits with this parasite, mankind annually loses a large amount of food.
Application in medicine and food industry
Certain types of this fungus, on the contrary, are very beneficial for humans. So, some antibiotics (ramicin) are prepared from it. This mushroom is also used in the food industry as a starter (Chinese yeast). With the help of it they make “tempe”, “soy cheese”, produce potato alcohol.
