The fact that yeasts are mushrooms is probably knownto many. And what about the further classification of these representatives of the kingdom? It is known that yeasts belong to the Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes division mushrooms. What does this mean? Let's try to figure it out together.
And single-celled mushrooms.They lost mycelium as a result of evolutionary processes, as they believe, in connection with the transition to habitat in liquid substrates that are rich in organic matter and are very favorable for the vital activity of these organisms. Total yeast there are up to one and a half thousand species. All yeasts are unicellular fungi.
Single isolated cells of these fungireach up to 7 microns in diameter, but some grow to 40 microns. However, some yeast-like still form at the stages of their life cycle the mycelium, and in some cases the fruit body. Currently, for example, Baker's yeast is the first eukaryote whose genome has been identified and deciphered.
Yeast - mushrooms, "domesticated" by man, and alreadyquite a long time ago. They have long been used for culinary purposes over the millennia: baking, creating fermentation conditions. Already in ancient Egypt, bakeries existed and, obviously, yeast was used. And in some countries in ancient times, along with baking unleavened (for example, matzoh or lavash), the production of yeast bread was gaining popularity. The brewer's yeast was known to the Egyptians more than six thousand years ago, and with the help of these organisms, people made this frothy drink.
Interestingly, for a new sourdough in manyfarms since ancient times used the remnants of the old. So, according to scientists, there was a selection of yeast, there were species that are not found in the wild. And many people consider some types of yeast to be the product of human activities exclusively (for example, varieties of cultivated cereals: wheat, rye, and others).
This is the name of the science that describes and studiesthe life and activity of these organisms. Yeast belongs to mushrooms, their pure culture was first isolated in 1881 in Denmark, and in 1883 it was already used for the production of beer. At the end of the 19th century, a classification of yeast was created, and collections and determinants of famous cultures appeared in the 20th century. Yeast belongs to the ascomycete mushroom department until the middle of the last century. Scientists observed their sexual cycle, summarizing as a taxonomic group (marsupial fungi). But in Japan, one of the scientists induced reproduction of basidiomycetes and yeast. Thus, the experts came to the conclusion that yeast fungi (photo below) were formed in the process of evolution independently among these two divisions of the kingdom (ascomycetes and basidiomycetes). The data was confirmed by the molecular-biological study of organisms. They are not a taxon, but, most likely, a special life form.
Итак, дрожжи относятся к грибам отдела аскомицеты and basidiomycetes (more precisely, to two different departments). All of them are sub-kingdom of higher mushrooms. You can distinguish them by the characteristics of life cycles and some other features: pairs in DNA, the presence of urease. Ascomycetes, or marsupial mushrooms - a fairly extensive department, which includes up to thirty thousand species (by the way, the well-known truffles belong to this department, as well as morels and lines). Among all - and the yeast, which are considered scientists secondarily unicellular organisms.
Usually these organisms live in places that arerich in sugars - substrates on the surface of fruits and berries, leaves. They can eat the products of plant life: nectar, secretions, wound juices. Do not disdain and dead phytomass. Can live in the soil litter of organic matter, and in natural water masses. Some yeast is also present in the intestines of insects that feed on wood. A lot of yeast and leaves that are affected by aphids.
Some types of yeast cultures have long beenin demand in cooking, baking and distillation of alcohol. Kvass, bread, beer, wine can not do without these tiny assistants. All these yeasts known to mankind for a long time belong to the ascomycetes of the mushroom department. For the production of strong alcohol, they participate in the distillation at the fermentation stage. Nowadays, some yeast cultures are used in a wide range of biotechnologies: the production of fuel and food additives and enzymes. And in science, they are used as experimental cultures for genetic studies.
