Saprobic fungi
Fungi and bacteria are the main decomposers of organic matter; the activity of these organisms is as essential for the endless functioning of the earth’s ecosystems as that of the producers of nutrients. As they feed on dead organic matter, saprophytic fungi decompose it into simple molecules that go back into the soil and can be reused by plants and all other organisms.
Their ability to demolish organic matter has been used by man, in particular to destroy foods and clothes (cotton and leather items).
Special reports
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3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
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World Sea Turtle Day is held on 16 June. First established in 2008, the day is now supported by Sea…
10 June 2021
The world below
Journey to the Centre of the Earth is a famous science fiction novel written by the great Jules Verne in…
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29 April 2021
Etruscan shrews, ferocity in miniature
Which is the tiniest micromammal, i.e. the smallest mammal on the planet? Up until almost half a century ago, it…
10 March 2021
International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021
This year has been designated by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) as the International Year of…
8 March 2021
8 March. We remember Rosalind Franklin, the great female DNA scientist.
DNA was first isolated by Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biochemist in 1869. It was a brilliant, but not complicated operation:…
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3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
-
27 September 2012
Over 7 billion people on Earth
Demographers have estimated that on 31 October 2011 world population...
-
16 June 2021
A turtle’s life
World Sea Turtle Day is held on 16 June. First established in 2008, the day is now supported by Sea…
10 June 2021
The world below
Journey to the Centre of the Earth is a famous science fiction novel written by the great Jules Verne in…
-
3 November 2014
Conan the bacterium
Have you ever leafed through the pages of a book of Guinness World Records? You can find records of all…
From the Multimedia section
Facts
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Bread and cheese, wine or beer
Yeast is used to make wine, beer and bread. When mixed with the bread dough...
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Who lives well with low oxygen?
<i><span style="font-style: normal; " class="Apple-style-span"><i><em>Aquandriella fermentas</em> </i>lives in stagnant waters and can stand complete anaerobiosis...</span></i>
Responsible for fish-plagues
<em>Sporolegnia parasitica</em> is widely present in estuaries and fish tanks and that...
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Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
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Bread and cheese, wine or beer
Yeast is used to make wine, beer and bread. When mixed with the bread dough...
-
Who lives well with low oxygen?
<i><span style="font-style: normal; " class="Apple-style-span"><i><em>Aquandriella fermentas</em> </i>lives in stagnant waters and can stand complete anaerobiosis...</span></i>
Responsible for fish-plagues
<em>Sporolegnia parasitica</em> is widely present in estuaries and fish tanks and that...
-
Bread and cheese, wine or beer
Yeast is used to make wine, beer and bread. When mixed with the bread dough...