Applied Microbiology

Melioration in Mycology & Phycology

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Mycology is the study of Fungi- the plant like microbes, which have the root like structures, called mycorrhizae. The father of Mycology is Micheli. The study of Algae, is called as Phycology, aka algalogy, Also, Phycology is considered as a sub-discipline under botany, the study of plants, The father of modern phycology is William Henry Harvey. 

You have commonly heard of the terms, yeast, molds and fungi- these are the eukaryotic microorganisms whose study is called Mycology. In the classification, Fungi have been given their own separate kingdom. Fungi are multi-faceted and are distributed all over the world, can also grow in a large variety of habitats and can survive even the most unfavourable conditions- including the intense temperatures both cold & super-hot. They can grow either in the very cold Arctic Oceans, ice glaciers, or places with extreme salt concentrations, or with ionizing radiation and yeah, also the desert and arid areas. These fungi play an important role in the organic matter decomposition, nutrient exchange and bio-geo chemical cycling. Few fungal species produce toxic bioactive compounds called mycotoxins which are mostly neurotoxins. 

Earlier mycology was thought to be important for it's industrial and antibiotic applications, but in recent years, it has been gaining more importance as Medical Mycology. Medical Mycology is the study of disease causing and other medically important fungi and their interactions with the host-cells. 

Phycology is the study algae, which are the primary producers in the aquatic ecosystem and are extremely essential in the growth of microorganisms in the water eco-systems. They were earlier considered to be true plants, but then after serious studies, they were found to be pseudo-plants, and hence given a separate classification. Most algae are single celled and only few species are multicellular.  microalgae and phytoplanktons are a type of algae, with some species of algae  being large, capable of growing into seaweeds (Sargassum and Kelp).