Random Image

You are here: Random Image > Words beginning with f > Random Image for fundus

Possible definitions for fundus

fungus
Any of about 50,000 species of organisms of the kingdom Fungi, or Mycota, incl. yeasts, rusts, smuts, molds, mushrooms, and mildews. Though formerly classified as plants and still considered plants in some systems, they lack chlorophyll and the organized plant structures of stems, roots, and leaves. Fungi contribute to the disintegration of organic matter that results in the release of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus from dead plants and animals into the soil or the atmosphere. They can be found in the water, soil, air, plants, and animals of all regions of the world that have sufficient moisture to enable them to grow. Essential to many household and industrial processes, fungi are also used in the production of enzymes, organic acids, vitamins, and antibiotics. They also can destroy crops, cause such diseases as athlete's foot and ringworm, and ruin clothing and food with mildew and rot. The thallus, or body, of a typical fungus consists of a mycelium through which cytoplasm flows. The mycelium generally reproduces by forming spores, either directly or in special fruiting bodies that are generally the visible part of the fungus. The soil provides an ideal habitat for many species. Lacking chlorophyll, fungi are unable to carry out photosynthesis and must obtain their carbohydrates by secreting enzymes onto the surface on which they are growing to digest the food, which they absorb through the mycelium. Saprophytic fungi live off dead organisms and are partly responsible for the decomposition of organic matter. Parasitic fungi invade living organisms, often causing disease and death (see parasitism). Fungi establish symbiotic relationships with algae (forming lichens), plants (forming mycorrhizae; see mycorrhiza), and certain insects.


Faunus
Ancient Italian rural deity, the Roman counterpart of the Greek god Pan. The grandson of Saturn, he was depicted as half-man, half-goat, like a satyr. He was first worshiped as a god who bestowed fertility on fields and flocks, but he ended as a woodland deity. His companions were known as fauns.

Top words beginning with F: frigidities, feldspathic, finn, fre, fortuned, formalistical, federating, florins, falconer, frolicsomeness, funnelwise, folklorism, fumarylacetoacetase, frivols, forgiveless, fruitage, follyproof, fontal, flowcharts, farmsteads

More words beginning with F.

Browse the alphabet: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z