Fungi explorer – hyphae, spores, yeast and the roles of fungi
BiologyMicrobiology & VirusesAges 11–12Virtual lab
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Look at bread mould, Penicillium, yeast and mushroom gills under a virtual microscope, follow the mushroom life cycle, grow mould on bread or fruit at different temperatures and moisture levels, and sort fungi by their roles: decomposers, food, medicine, partnerships and disease.
Lesson: Fungi: structure, reproduction and roles
What it shows
Fungi are eukaryotes with cell walls of chitin that feed by digesting food outside their cells. Most grow as hyphae forming a mycelium; Rhizopus hyphae have no cross-walls, while Penicillium and mushrooms have septa. Fungi reproduce by spores, and yeast by budding. The mould lab uses a simple growth model in which temperature, moisture and a preservative change how soon colonies appear and how fast they spread; real species differ. Fermentation by yeast is explored further in the sim Fermentation – lactic acid and ethanol pathways.
How to use
On Microscope, choose a Specimen and a Magnification and press Run to see spores released or a bud forming. On Mushroom life cycle, press Run or Step. On Mould growth lab, set Food, Temperature and Moisture and press Run; each finished run adds a row to the table. On Roles of fungi, put each card in a group.
Parameters you can change
- Screen Microscope, Mushroom life cycle, Mould growth lab, Roles of fungi
- Specimen Bread mould (Rhizopus), Penicillium, Yeast, Mushroom gills
- Magnification ×100, ×400
- Show labels
- Food Bread, Bread with preservative, Orange
- Temperature 0–40 °C
- Moisture 0–100 %
Questions to explore
- Why does bread kept in a fridge go mouldy more slowly than bread kept in a warm kitchen?
- How is a mushroom related to the hyphae hidden in the soil?
- Which roles of fungi are useful to people, and which are harmful?
