Monday, February 9, 2009

The wonderful world of fungi













Fungi some of the most interesting subjects in the field of biology

Fungi have threadlike bodies. A fungus is made of long, slender filaments. Most of the fungal body is made loosely woven filaments. The filaments weave more tightly to form reproductive structures.
Fungal cell walls contain chitin. Fungi are Heterotrophic. They obtain energy by breaking down organic and inorganic material in their environment and absorbing the nutrients. In sexual reproduction, spores are produced by meiosis. In asexual reproduction, spores are produced by mitosis. Sexual reproduction results in genetic diversity. Asexual reproduction allows fungi reproduce both sexually and asexually. Fungi that absorb nutrients from dead organisms are called saprobes. Fungi have bodies made of threadlike strands called hyphae. Hyphae form a tangled mass, often many meters long, called mycellium. In some fungi, hyphae also form rootlike structures called rhizoids. Fungi that absorbs from living hosts are called parsite.The chytrids are a group of aquatic fungi that provide clues about the evolution of fungi. Zygote fungi are named for sexual reproductive structures that produce zygotes inside a tough capsule. Sac fungi are characterized by an ascus , a saclike sexual reproductive structure thaht produces spores. Club fungi are characterized by a badisium, a cluclike sexual reproductive structure that produces spores. Fungi form mutualistic symbiotic associations to form lichens and mycorrhizae. Fungi are used for food, medicines, research, alternative fuels, and pest control. Fungi play important ecological roles by decompsoing organic matter and by breaking down and absorbing minerals from rocks and soil. Fungi cause disease by absorbiung nutrients from host tissues and by producing toxins. Dermatophytes are fungi that infect the skin and nails.



Heres everything you know about fungi: Website




Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Kingdom protista baby uhh hun pump it uuuup.

This site is goin well and i think this may be a knew site for the future and classes yet to come. Do yuur homework kids.....
Kingdom protist is the most exciting kingdom (if it can be exciting) mega fun

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Cryptosporidiosis




Definition:
Cryptosporidium (krĭp'tōspərĭd'ēəm) , genus of protozoans having at least four species; they are waterborne parasites that cause the disease cryptosporidiosis. One of the species appears to be responsible for most of the illnesses. Symptoms of the disease are vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever usually lasting one to two weeks. In immunosuppressed individuals, such as people with AIDS, the disease can be fatal. Nitazoxanide is an effective treatment in some immunosuppressed individuals.
The usual sources of cryptosporidial contamination of drinking water are human sewage (e.g., sewage system overflows) and runoff carrying animal waste (e.g., from dairy farms). Although coagulation-sedimentation and filtration reduce the levels of cryptosporidium in water supplies, they do not eliminate it. Chlorination has no effect on the organism, which protects itself in the form of an oocyst, a tiny encapsulated egglike structure, when not in the intestine of an animal or human, but ozone disinfection has been more successful. Cryptosporidiosis affected more that 400,000 people and caused over 60 deaths in Milwaukee in 1993 when the parasites contaminated the public water system. Smaller outbreaks have occurred in other states.






Cryptosporidium

Cryptosporidium muris oocysts found in human feces.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Protista
Phylum: Apicomplexa
Class: Conoidasida
Subclass: Coccidiasina
Order: Eucoccidiorida
Suborder: Eimeriorina
Family: Cryptosporidiidae
Genus: Cryptosporidium
Species
Cryptosporidium andersoni
Cryptosporidium bailey
Cryptosporidium canis
Cryptosporidium felis
Cryptosporidium galli
Cryptosporidium hominis
Cryptosporidium meleagridis
Cryptosporidium muris
Cryptosporidium parvum
Cryptosporidium saurophilum
Cryptosporidium serpentis
Cryptosporidium wrairi

Treatment:
Most people who have healthy immune systems will recover without treatment. Diarrhea can be managed by drinking plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. People who are in poor health or who have weakened immune systems are at higher risk for more severe and prolonged illness. Young children and pregnant women may be more susceptible to dehydration resulting from diarrhea........ for more click here

Symptoms:
Symptoms of cryptosporidiosis generally begin 2 to 10 days (average 7 days) after becoming infected with the parasite. The most common symptom of cryptosporidiosis is watery diarrhea. Other symptoms include:

Stomach cramps or pain
Dehydration
Nausea
Vomiting
Fever
Weight loss
Some people with Crypto will have no symptoms at all.......... for more click here


Pictures





Additional help:

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Monday, February 2, 2009

Protists behind the lens



Any of various one-celled organisms, classified in the kingdom Protista, that are either free-living or aggregated into simple colonies and that have diverse reproductive and nutritional modes, including the protozoans, eukaryotic algae, and slime molds: some classification schemes also include the fungi and the more primitive bacteria and blue-green algae or may distribute the organisms between the kingdoms Plantae and Animalia according to dominant characteristics.

Any of a group of eukaryotic organisms belonging to the kingdom Protista according to some widely used modern taxonomic systems. The protists include a variety of unicellular, coenocytic, colonial, and multicellular organisms, such as the protozoans, slime molds, brown algae, and red algae.

If you want more info on the topic click here.

Friday, January 30, 2009