Fungi: Molds

Characteristics of molds

-multicellular -filaments: made up of hyphae -> mycelium: visible growth; intertwining branching mat -Vegetative mycelium, aerial mycelium -Aseptate or septate - pseudo/true/dolipore -Asexual reproduction - spores - sporangiospores/conidia -Seuxal reproduction - spores - zygospores/ascospores/basidiospores

Deuteromycotina

Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp.

Zygomycotina

Rhizopus sp., Phycomyces sp.

What kind of selective medium does mold prefer to grow on?

Sabouraud agar or potato dextrose agar -Favor mold growth because of low acidity (pH 4.5 - 5.6) discourages bacterial growth (which favors neutral pH) -Molds grow best at room temperature (25C) -Molds grow at much slower rate than bacteria

How is mold identified?

Spore type and shape, type of sporangia, and type of mycelium

Slide culture technique

Used to avoid disruption of structures to identify molds

Vegetative mycelium

mat that grows on or in the surface of nutrient medium so that it can extract nutrients

Aerial mycelium

rises up from mat; specialized hyphae produced and give rise to spores that are reproductive elements of mold