MYCOLOGY
Mycologyis the study of fungi. A fungus is a eukaryoticorganism, often micro-
scopic, that absorbs nutrients from its external environment. Fungi are not pho-
tosynthetic. Aeukaryotic microorganismis a microorganism whose cells have
a nucleus, cytoplasm and organelles. These include yeasts and some molds.
Tinea pedis,better known as athlete’s foot, is caused by a fungus.
PHYCOLOGY
Phycologyis the study of algae. Algaeare eukaryotic photosyntheticorganisms
that transform sunlight into nutrients using photosynthesis. Aeukaryotic photo-
synthetic microorganism is a microorganism whose cells have a nucleus, nuclear
envelope, cytoplasm, and organelles and that is able to carry out photosynthesis.
PROTOZOOLOGY
Protozoologyis the study of protozoa, animal-like single-cell microorganisms
that can be found in aquatic environments. Many obtain their food by engulfing
or ingesting smaller organisms. Protozoa are found in aquatic and terrestrial
environments. An example is Amoeba proteus.
PARASITOLOGY
Parasitologyis the study of parasites. Aparasiteis an organism that lives at the
expense of another organism or host. Parasites that cause disease are called
pathogens. Examples of parasites are bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and many ani-
mals such as worms, flatworms, and arthropods (insects).
What’s in a Name: Naming and Classifying
Carl Linnaeus developed the system for naming organisms in 1735. This system
is referred to as binominal nomenclature. Each organism is assigned two latin-
ized names because Latin or Greek was the traditional language used by schol-
ars. The first name is called the genus. The second name is called the specific
CHAPTER 1 The World of the Microorganism^5