FACT
A TED video on the
many uses of Fungi
See video:
SHORTCODEat
http://www.everythingscience.co.zaFACT
Sir Alexander
Fleming discovered
the first antibiotics
in 1928, after
observing that
colonies of
Staphylococcus
aureusbacteria
could be destroyed
by the fungi
Penicillium
notatum. This
observation that
certain substances
were deadly to
microbial life lead
to the discovery and
development of
medicines that
could kill many
types of
disease-causing
bacteria in the body.Figure 10.9: Examples of fungi.Figure 10.10: Mushrooms are examples of fungi.Kingdom Plantae
Organisms belonging to the plant kingdom are eukaryotic and multicellular organisms. They
have a distinct cell wall made of cellulose. Cells are organised into true plant tissues. Plants
contain plastids and photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll. They are non-motile.
Plants make their own food by photosynthesis and are therefore said to be autotrophic. Plants
undergo both sexual and asexual reproduction. They store food as starch. Important exam-
ples of plants are mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants.
Figure 10.11: The King Protea flower is named after former President Nelson Mandela and is called
the Madiba Protea.
Chapter 10. Biodiversity and classification 305