Name: ______Period: ______

Fungi Fun Facts Web Quest

Please type the following web address into your web browser:

http://www.herbarium.usu.edu/fungi/funfacts/factindx1.htm

Where Are Fungi?

  • Fungi are not ______.
  • The part of the fungus that you see is the ______. The part that is underground is called the ______.
  • What is the molecule used to make the cell walls of chitin?
  • What other organisms use this?
  • Do fungi have stomachs? YES / NO (circle one)
  • How do they get their nutrients?

Biodiversity

  • How many species of fungi have been researched compared to the 1.5 million that actually exist?
  • When we lose a species from this planet, for example a type of fungi, what can happen to the ecosystem in which it lived?

Fungal Shotgun

  • What species of fungi live in cow dung?
  • What would happen if they did not exist
  • How did this dung-eating fungi get its nickname as a “shotgun” fungi?

Giant Puffballs

  • Giant puffballs spread their pores in two ways. One is by cracking open and letting the ______carry the spores away. The spores can also be “puffed” out when they are hit by ______.
  • How do the Native Americans utilize the spores of the giant puffball fungi?

Lichens

  • Lichens are not a single organism, but are a result of ... (finish the sentence)…
  • Lichens have many uses. One is using their sensitivity to detect ______.
  • A second, a medically beneficial use of lichens is that they are used to make what?

What’s In a Name?

Read this entire section about binomial nomenclature and its importance. The reading gives you an example of a mushroom species that has many different names when in different countries. Use the web to find another example!

Fairy Rings

  • How did these fungi get the name Fairy Ring??

Terminators

  • What is bio control?
  • What are the benefits of biocontrol?
  • What is one example of how fungi are being used as an exterminator? Explain.

Penicillin: The First Miracle Drug

**Read the article about Penicillin the Miralce Drug and answer the following questions:

  • Who first discovered and published his findings on penicillin?
  • What historical event pushed the importance of penicillin into the spotlight and sparked the interest from global drug companies?
  • How does penicillin kill the bad bacterial infections?
  • What do we need to be conscientious of when it comes to antibiotics?