Brainstorm: What do you know about microbes? ^🔗

3 Important Types ^🔗

Microorganisms (microbes) are living things that are too small to see with the naked eye.

They are sometimes unicellular (made of one cell), or multicellular (many cells, like you!).

1. Bacteria
2. Fungi
3. Viruses

Pātai: Are they helpful to humans or harmful? ^🔗

• Both!
• They can cause disease (looking at you, SARS-CoV-2 virus)
  • Disease causing microbes are called pathogens
• They can be used to make food (yoghurt, ginger beer, mushroomsm, bread, etc.)

Ngā Whāinga Ako ^🔗

1. Describe the structure of fungi
2. Outline the nutrition, growth, respiration, reproduction and excretion processes of fungi

Fungi (Decomposers) ^🔗

• Made of clusters of cells (multicellular)
• Fungi are sometimes too small to see, but once the group of cells gets too large it becomes visible to the naked eye
• Get their food by absorbing dissolved organic molecules

Function of Fungi ^🔗

• Fungi exist in ecosystems to break down (decay) dead organic matter into small molecules that are able to be be used by other living things
• This is so that energy and nutrients can be reused!

Structure of Fungi ^🔗

1. Collect a sheet from the front of class
2. Cut it to size and glue it into your book
3. Label the following parts: mycelium, spore, reproductive structure, hyphae