| Mushrooms (L. Fungi or Mycota) is a kingdom of live nature, encompassing
eukaryote organisms which combines several features of plants and
animals.
Mushrooms are present in all biological niche-in water, land, and in
air. They play important role by disintegrating all sorts of organic
materials in bio-sphere, that's why many mushrooms are also happen to
be dangerous vermin causing significant economic loss. Many mushrooms
are parasites of plants and animals (including humans) which cause a
range of dangerous deceases. Some types of mushrooms actively used by
man in household and medical purposes.
For a long time mushrooms are referred to plants because of mushroom's
ability to unlimited growth, presence of cellular walls and inability
to move. Due to the absence of chlorophyll,
unlike plants mushrooms are deprived of ability to photosynthesize but
possess heterotrophic type of feeding peculiar to the animals. Apart
from this, mushrooms are not capable of phagocytosis like animals, but
they absorb necessary elements through whole surface of their body
(adsorbed feeding), for this they have very big outer surface which is
not natural for animals. Animal's features besides heterotrophy are:
absence of plastids, accumulation of glycogen as provision and
presence of chitin in cellular wall (wanting in that cellulose, unlike
plants).
Generally accepted classification of mushrooms does not exist. That's
why references given by authors in literature or other sources may
significantly differ.
Kingdom of mushrooms is classified into main branches depending upon
their ability to breed.
Importance of mushrooms in human's life
Mushrooms as food:
Edible mushrooms (russules, white mushrooms, milk mushrooms and
others) after processing are used as food. In food manufacturing
industry various leavenous cultures are used for manufacturing
vinegar, alcohol and other spirits: wines, vodka, beer, kumys, kefir
and in baking. Must cultures are used for making cheeses (Roquefort,
camembert) and wines ( Xeres)
Poisonous mushrooms basically are not used in food but some of them
are used after decontamination (mainly by repeatedly decoction). But
that decontamination does not always bring awaited result, because
every thing depends upon dosage and variety of consumed toxins, and
also man's weight, his individual perceptivity are considered.
Medical application:
Several types of mushrooms produce important substances (including
antibiotics). Mushrooms and medications derived from mushrooms are
applied in medicines. For example
Oriental medicine uses whole mushrooms- reishi (hanoderma), shiitake,
cordiceps and others;
In legal medicines list we can find various medications - chaga,
spurs;
penicillus and other mushrooms are used in manufacturing antibiotics.
Application in sacral purposes
Some mushrooms contain psychoactive substances and possess
hallucinating effect, hence
ancient people used them in various ceremonies and beginnings, for
instance, shamans in Siberia used toadstools.
Medicines on the base of micromycets as pesticides
Many mushrooms are able to interact with other organisms by means of
their metabolites, or simply infecting them. Application of several
such mushrooms in agricultural pesticides can be considered as
possibility to control population of vermin in agriculture such as
ascarid and other plant destroying mushrooms. As biopesticides , for
instance, entomopathogenic mushrooms can be used. |
