‘Mould’ or ‘mold’ is a generic term for the thousands of species of mould fungi.
They are found in 2 divisions the Ascomycota and Zygomycota.
They consist of multicellular filaments or hyphae which when massed form a visible mycelium.
Moulds.
They typically form fuzzy raised colonies on decaying organic matter especially food.
They can be black, white, green, yellow, brown, grey, blue or red.
There are thousands of species and all require moisture to grow.
They secrete enzymes that degrade cellulose, lignin and starch they then absorb.
The ability to degrade both cellulose and lignin makes them important in the decay of wood and other organic matter
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These and other enzymes can inhibit the growth of other microorganisms.
Mildews.
These are closely related but tend to form flat colonies and be white rather than coloured.
They may also be grey or yellowish and turn black or brown with age.
Reproduction is by masses of spores formed on the hyphal tips.
Powdery and downy mildews of plants, seen as white spots are caused by many species.
Colour is often used to distinguish moulds from mildews but this is not always reliable.
J.F.
