Mycology Practical 2 Food Science and Technology
ASPERGILLUS
1 Taxonomic classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Eurotiomycetes
Order: Eurotiales
Family: Trichocomaceae
Genus: Aspergillus
2 Habitat
According to Dr Fungi (2016) Aspergillus is cosmopolitan (It is found everywhere
over the universe) and ubiquitous in nature like in doors, air environment such as
plants, soil, debris etc. Spores (conidia) of aspergillus species are also found in the
air, so in the lab they grow as contaminants. Majority of aspergillus species feed and
grow on decaying organic substances such as cheese, leather, vagetables, jam,
wood and fruits as well.
3 MORPHOLOGY
Microscopic morphology
Aspergillus fungi have septate hyphae with a diameter of 2.5 to 8 micrometres. The
unbranched canidiophores arise basal foot positioned in the supporting hyphae and
end in the apex of the vesicle. The morphology of aspergillus canidiophores may
differ from one specie to other species. Vesicles are sometimes partial covered or
completely covered with a flask shaped phialides that may directly develop on the
vesicle in uniseriate form or supported by metula in biseriate form. Phialides produce
round chain, sometimes rough conidia of 2-5 micrometres in diameter (Dr Fungi;
2016)
Macroscopic morphology
Margin: entire
Form: filaments
Elevation: convex
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, Mycology Practical 2 Food Science and Technology
Surface colour: green to dark green and reverse side is yellow
They have rapid growth (Dr Fungi; 2016)
4 Reproduction
Asexual Reproduction
According to biology discussions ( 2018) It occurs in conidiophores by conidia
Many aseptate conidiophores (thick walled and unbranched) arise from the
prostate somatic mycelium -the apex of conidiophore grows into a globular
and elliptical multinucleated vesicle (it may be called foot cell)
Foot cell or vesicle may develop a sterigmata or phialides that are arranged
radial and have tubular growth, it cover the entire surface of the vesicle.
In other species o aspergillus fungi uniseriate (primary sterigmata) produces a
bi-seriate (secondary sterigmata) on it upper side
Each bi-seriate (or if uniseriate if secondary sterigmata is absent) forms many
multinucleated conidia that are small and round shaped, and basipetical
arranged. In other species conidia is uninucleate. Fully developed conidium
(the structure that has thick wall that is separated into smooth endospore and
outer spiny epispore)
Each conidia produces a germ tube when it germinate.
Sexual reproduction
It occurs by forming elongated and multinucleated ascogonium (they have
terminal trichogyne) and antheridium.
Antheridium nucleous fuses with ascogonium nuclei to form dikaryotic
ascogonium hyphae (ascocarp formation)
Each undergoes Crozier formation. It a long gate itself to give rise to Crozier
(hook like structure) hyphae forms punultimat cells.
The nuclei of the cells undergo karyogamy to produce diploid nucleus ascus
mother cells.
Diploid nucleus undergo meiosis to produce four haploid nuclei and again
diploid nucleus undergo meiosis to form ascospores and again covered with
cytoplasm and start to form a mature aspergillus mycelium. (Biology
discussion; 2018)
Page 3 of 13
ASPERGILLUS
1 Taxonomic classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Eurotiomycetes
Order: Eurotiales
Family: Trichocomaceae
Genus: Aspergillus
2 Habitat
According to Dr Fungi (2016) Aspergillus is cosmopolitan (It is found everywhere
over the universe) and ubiquitous in nature like in doors, air environment such as
plants, soil, debris etc. Spores (conidia) of aspergillus species are also found in the
air, so in the lab they grow as contaminants. Majority of aspergillus species feed and
grow on decaying organic substances such as cheese, leather, vagetables, jam,
wood and fruits as well.
3 MORPHOLOGY
Microscopic morphology
Aspergillus fungi have septate hyphae with a diameter of 2.5 to 8 micrometres. The
unbranched canidiophores arise basal foot positioned in the supporting hyphae and
end in the apex of the vesicle. The morphology of aspergillus canidiophores may
differ from one specie to other species. Vesicles are sometimes partial covered or
completely covered with a flask shaped phialides that may directly develop on the
vesicle in uniseriate form or supported by metula in biseriate form. Phialides produce
round chain, sometimes rough conidia of 2-5 micrometres in diameter (Dr Fungi;
2016)
Macroscopic morphology
Margin: entire
Form: filaments
Elevation: convex
Page 2 of 13
, Mycology Practical 2 Food Science and Technology
Surface colour: green to dark green and reverse side is yellow
They have rapid growth (Dr Fungi; 2016)
4 Reproduction
Asexual Reproduction
According to biology discussions ( 2018) It occurs in conidiophores by conidia
Many aseptate conidiophores (thick walled and unbranched) arise from the
prostate somatic mycelium -the apex of conidiophore grows into a globular
and elliptical multinucleated vesicle (it may be called foot cell)
Foot cell or vesicle may develop a sterigmata or phialides that are arranged
radial and have tubular growth, it cover the entire surface of the vesicle.
In other species o aspergillus fungi uniseriate (primary sterigmata) produces a
bi-seriate (secondary sterigmata) on it upper side
Each bi-seriate (or if uniseriate if secondary sterigmata is absent) forms many
multinucleated conidia that are small and round shaped, and basipetical
arranged. In other species conidia is uninucleate. Fully developed conidium
(the structure that has thick wall that is separated into smooth endospore and
outer spiny epispore)
Each conidia produces a germ tube when it germinate.
Sexual reproduction
It occurs by forming elongated and multinucleated ascogonium (they have
terminal trichogyne) and antheridium.
Antheridium nucleous fuses with ascogonium nuclei to form dikaryotic
ascogonium hyphae (ascocarp formation)
Each undergoes Crozier formation. It a long gate itself to give rise to Crozier
(hook like structure) hyphae forms punultimat cells.
The nuclei of the cells undergo karyogamy to produce diploid nucleus ascus
mother cells.
Diploid nucleus undergo meiosis to produce four haploid nuclei and again
diploid nucleus undergo meiosis to form ascospores and again covered with
cytoplasm and start to form a mature aspergillus mycelium. (Biology
discussion; 2018)
Page 3 of 13
