Investigation of Kingdom Fungi

Investigation of Kingdom Fungi

Kingdom Fungi has many Effects on other organisms, like humans. They can cause diseases that directly a ect humans and also indirectly a ect our way of life through the destruction of crops. This activity can be done in groups of four to six students to teach them about fungus, how to prevent its negative Effects, and increase its bene ts.

Learning Objectives

To describe the structures of the representative organisms of each phy-lum of Kingdom Fungi.

Materials

Petri dishes*, water drop microscope*.

Specimens

Instructions for collecting and preserving these specimens are described eariler

One specimen from Phylum Basidiomycota

One specimen from Phylum Zygomycota One specimen from Phylum Ascomycota

Hazards and Safety

Some mushrooms are poisonous. Wash your hands with soap after this activity.

Preparation Procedure

1. Assemble the required materials and specimens.

Activity Procedure

1.           Collect at least one sample for each phylum.

2.           Using a knife and a drop of water, mount bread moulds and yeast cells on the plastic slides and cover with a cover slip.

3.           Observe the specimens using the water drop microscope and draw what you see.

4.           Observe the mushroom with the naked eyes and draw a labelled dia-gram.

Results and Conclusions

You should be able to observe the common and distinctive features of the phyla in Kingdom Fungi that are described in the proceeding. Ad-vantages of Kingdom Fungi are in the area of food, bread, alcohol making and are inputs in the chemical preservative industry. Disadvantages of King-dom Fungi include the spoilage of food, damage to crops, and infections like Athlete's foot or Ringworm. The organisms in Kingdom Fungi reproduce asexually by the use of spores.