Unit 2 - Molds Morphology

Unit 2.
Mold morphology
Learning objectives:
When you have completed the experiments in this section, you should be familiar with
1. The macroscopic and microscopic structures molds.
2. The basic mycological culturing.
3. The ability to identify selected common molds related to food section.
Introduction
Fungi, including molds and yeasts, is divided into 4 groups, based on their sexual modes of
reproduction (Table 1).
Like other fungi, molds are heterotropic, eukaryote microorganisms that can produce many
extracellular enzymes to metabolise a wide variety of organic compounds. They have both
benificial or detrimental effects on humans. Molds are used as fermentative agents in
production of plural food like cheese, fermentative tofu … or industrial enzymes and
antibiotics. Otherwise, molds can cause food spoilage or produce mycotoxin or hallucinogens.
Many deuteromycetes are pathogenic which can cause superficial mycoses (infection of
skin, hair, nails) or systemic mycoses (infections of the subcutaneous and deeper tissues,
including the nervous system, genitalia, and lungs)
Table 1. Principal characteritics of four groups of fungi
Group
Characteristics Zygomycetes Ascomycetes Basidiomycates Deuteromycetes
Mycelium Nonseptate Septate Septate Septate
Asexual spore Sporangiospore Conidiaspore Conidiaspore Conidiaspore
Sexual spore Zygospore Ascospore Basidiospore No sexual spore
Common species Rhizopus sp. Most yeasts Mushroom Aspergillus sp.

Mucor sp. Penicillium sp.
Candida sp.
Molds structure and morphology

Molds are microorganisms that can be seen by human naked eyes. We've all seen them grow
as fuzzy, cottony, black, green, or orange growths on foods like citrus fruit or bread, depending
on the mold species. Their colony composes of an intertwining branching mat made of mycelia
(Figure 1). This mycelial mat is composed of filaments known as hyphae (hypha, in singular).
Hyphae are divided into vegetative hyphae which grow on or in the medium’s surface to extract
the nutrients and aerial hyphyae which rise upward from the mat. Spores are produced on aerial
hyphae (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Penicillium growed on citrus (left) and Aspergillus flavus (right) colonies
morphology
Figure 2. Organisation of molds hyphae on solide culture

The vegetative hyphae may have septate as observed in many mold species such as
Aspergillus and Penicillium (Figure 3). In Zygomycetes, these vegetative hyphae are non-
septate (Figure 4).
Sources: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fungal_hyphae.jpg
Figure 3. Septate hyphae in molds
Sources: https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/microbiologyzygomycetes.html
Figure 4. Non-septate hyphae in molds
Asexual spores are normally produced on tip of aerial hyphae and can be naked (conidia
spores - Figure 5 and Figure 6) or closed (sporagiospores - Figure 7).
(Visagie, 2014)
Figure 5. Morphological structures and types of conidiophore branching in Penicillium. A.
Conidiophores with solitary phialides. B. Monoverticillate. C. Divaricate. D, E. Biverticillate.
F. Terverticillate. G. Quaterverticillate. Scale bar = 10 μm..
Figure 6. Morphological structures and conidial heads in Aspergillus (a) uniseriate; (b)
biseriate.
Figure 7. Morphological and structure of asexual spores in Zygomycetes

Molds observation using slide culture
Molds are normally cultivated on selective medium like Sabouraud agar or potato dextrose
agar. The pH of these media is around 4.5 - 5.6 which is suitable for fungi but unfavourable for
bacteria growth. Molds require lower tempeature to grow than bacteria, usually in range 20-
30oC and longer incubation to observe their colonies and spores.
To study molds morphology, slide culture is used, to avoid mechanical disruption of molds
structures. A thin layer of medium is placed on sterilised slide, inoculated with mold spore, and
covered by a removable coverslip. The slide is then incubated in a moisture chamber at suitable
temperature. Intact components of molds can be then observed under optical microscopy.
Molds can be identified through morphology of spore’s structure and hyphae.
Figure 8. Slide culture for mold morphology study

Table 2. Conidiophore and conidia of mold Penicillium
Microorganisms and spores description Spores structures image
Penicillium cheresanum
long chains of single-celled phialoconidia
P. verrucosum
two-stage branching
P. camemberti
a septate conidiophore, topped by nonreproductive metulae,
followed more distally by elongated sterigmata, then even
more distalward, were the cigar shaped phialides, topped by
a respective chain of conidia, one per each phialide, forming
the characteristic brush shaped cluster known as a
penicillus. Young conidia are oblong to ellipsoidal in shape,
assuming a more globose shape as they mature.
Penicillium multicolor,
two conidiophores, each topped by a characteristic, brush
shaped cluster of conidia. This reproductive structure is
known as a penicillus.
Table 3. Conidiophore and conidia of mold Aspergillus

A. flavus
worldwide distribution; saprophyte in soil and on many kinds
of decaying organic matter; recognised pathogen of humans
and animals. It is a causative agent of otitis, keratitis, acute and
chronic invasive sinusitis, and pulmonary and systemic
infections in immunocompromised patients; produce
mycotoxin.
Conidial heads are typically radiate, later splitting to form
loose columns (mostly 300-400 µm in diameter), biseriate but
having some heads with phialides borne directly on the vesicle
(uniseriate).
A. niger
Conidial heads are large (up to 3 mm by 15 to 20 µm in
diameter), globose, dark brown, becoming radiate and tending
to split into several loose columns with age. Conidiophore
stipes are smooth-walled, hyaline or turning dark towards the
vesicle. Conidial heads are biseriate with the phialides borne
on brown, often septate metulae. Conidia are globose to
subglobose (3.5-5 µm in diameter), dark brown to black and
rough-walled.
Table 4. Conidiophore and conidia of mold Mucorales
Mucor spp.
Sporangiophores are long, broad, non-septate,
branched with round sporangia.
There is no rhizoids.
Sporangiophores are erect, simple or branched,
forming large (60-300 µm in diameter), terminal,
globose to spherical, multispored sporangia,
without apophyses and with well-developed
subtending columellae. A conspicuous collarette
(remnants of the sporangial wall) is usually visible
at the base of the columella after sporangiospore
dispersal. Sporangiospores are hyaline, grey or
brownish, globose to ellipsoidal, and smooth-
walled or finely ornamented. Chlamydospores and
zygospores may also be present.
Rhizopus spp.
Spornagiophores are long, rare septate, with dark
sporangium at terminal end.
There are rhizoids produced at connection of stolon
and sporangiophore.
Pre-lab report
Student name:___________________________ Instructor’s comment
Student ID:_____________________________
Group:_________________Date:___________
Question to solve before you come to class:

1. Draw the mold hyphae diagram and describe the characteristics of different types of
hyphae?
2. Are molds single cell or multicell? Explain the term “coenocyte”?
3. Describe the morphology of spores structure of some common molds including
Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Mucorales.
Lab report
Student name:___________________________ Instructor’s comment

Student ID:_____________________________
Group:_________________Date:___________
Draw a representative microscopic field under low-power and high-power magnification and
label the structural components of each test organism.
Name of molds:_____________________________________________________________
Magnification:-
________________________________________________________________
Name of
molds:_________________________________________________________________
Magnification:-
__________________________________________________________________
Name of
molds:_________________________________________________________________
Magnification:-
__________________________________________________________________
Name of
molds:_________________________________________________________________
Magnification:-
__________________________________________________________________

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Unit 2.

Table 1. Principal characteritics of four groups of fungi

Characteristics Zygomycetes Ascomycetes Basidiomycates Deuteromycetes

Mycelium Nonseptate Septate Septate Septate

Asexual spore Sporangiospore Conidiaspore Conidiaspore Conidiaspore

Sexual spore Zygospore Ascospore Basidiospore No sexual spore

Common species Rhizopus sp. Most yeasts Mushroom Aspergillus sp.

Molds structure and morphology

Figure 2. Organisation of molds hyphae on solide culture

Figure 7. Morphological and structure of asexual spores in Zygomycetes

Figure 8. Slide culture for mold morphology study

Microorganisms and spores description Spores structures image

Table 3. Conidiophore and conidia of mold Aspergillus

Table 4. Conidiophore and conidia of mold Mucorales

Microorganisms and spores description Spores structures image

Question to solve before you come to class:

Student name:___________________________ Instructor’s comment

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