Fungal Growth Nutrients Quiz

Section 2: Essential Nutrient Components for Fungal Growth

• Czapek Dox Media Components: Sucrose, Sodium Nitrate (NaNO₃), Sulfate (H₂SO₄), and Ferrous Sulfate are nutrient sources for fungal growth.

• Procedure:

  • Prepare several flasks. One flask with all components and others lacking a specific component.
  • Sterilize the media in an autoclave at 121°C for 15-20 minutes.
  • Pour sterilized media into pre-sterilized plates.
  • Allow plates to solidify at room temperature.
  • Inoculate plates with tested fungi.
  • Incubate plates at 30°C for 7 days.
  • Measure fungal growth diameter after incubation.

Observations and Comments

• Nutrient Classification: Nutrients are classified into macro- and micro-nutrients.
  • Macro-nutrients: Include Carbon (C), Nitrogen (N), Sulfur (S), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K).
  • Micro-nutrients: Include Copper (Cu), Cobalt (Co), Calcium (Ca), Zinc (Zn), and Iron (Fe).
• Element Importance: Each element plays a crucial role, for example, sucrose is a carbon source that is necessary for carbohydrates synthesis.
• Fungal Growth Affected by Temperature & Other Components: The first flask that has all the components will show higher growth compared to others, and the growth diameter decreases when comparing the first plate to others.
  • Lower temperatures can decrease fungal growth as enzymes' activity reduces due to decreased kinetic energy.
  • Higher temperatures that break down the enzymes, resulting in reduced nutrient absorption and growth.

Potassium (K⁺)

• Enzyme Activator: Potassium is a crucial activator for enzymes, without it, enzymes cannot function properly.
• Toxic Ion Removal: Potassium's role is also to clear negative charges or toxic ions from fungi.
• Permeability Regulator: It appears to be associated with controlling the permeability of the fungal cell wall.

Effect of Temperature on Fungal Growth

• Procedure: Prepare Czapek Dox media. Autoclave at 121°C for 15-20 min. Pour media into pre-sterilized Petri dishes. Allow to solidify at room temp. Inoculate with fungi. Incubate at various temperatures (5°C , 15°C, 30°C, 45°C) for 7 days. Measure diameter.

• Observation: Growth rate is highest at a specific temperature and decreases above and below this optimum temperature range. Optimum temperature for each fungus type varies.

• Minimum Temperature: The lowest temperature at which growth begins to occur.

Test your knowledge on the essential nutrient components required for fungal growth based on Czapek Dox Media. This quiz covers the classification of macro and micro-nutrients as well as the procedures for preparing and assessing fungal growth in a laboratory setting. Assess your understanding of nutrient sources and their significance in fungal biology.