Describe the major roles of fungi that affect humans and their environment
What will be an ideal response?
ANSWER: Fungi have many effects on humans and their environment. First, along with bacteria,
fungi are the primary decomposers on Earth. Decomposers provide vital recycling of
carbon and other nutrients; without such recycling, the planet would quickly face a nutrient
crisis as carbon and other nutrients became locked up in leaf litter and other cast-off
organic matter. Second, fungi are the cause of many diseases. They are the greatest cause
of plant diseases, and many diseases in animals (including humans) are caused by fungi.
Third, fungi provide extremely important direct benefits to about 90 percent of plants via
mycorrhizae. Fourth, fungi are part of lichens, which begin the process of making soils
from bare rocks and which are the primary producers in some harsh environments like the
arctic tundra. Finally, fungi are used by humans for such things as baking, making cheeses,
making alcoholic beverages, making antibiotics, and as model organisms for studies of
molecular biology and genetic engineering in eukaryotes.
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Cloning vectors are used to introduce novel DNA into cells
Indicate whether the statement is true or false
A host can harbor a pathogen without developing a disease.
a. true b. false
The diameter of most animal and plant cells ranges from
A) 0.1 to 1.0 micrometers. B) 1.0 to 10 micrometers. C) 10 to 100 micrometers. D) 100 to 1,000 micrometers.
Which of the following methods combines nucleic acid amplification testing and mass spectro-metry (MS) for identification of S. aureus and MRSA?
a. Serodiagnosis b. CHROMagar c. The Xpert MRSA/SA test d. PCR/ESI-MS