Bread mould. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of fungal hyphae (thread-like structures) growing on the surface of bread (blue). These have

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Bread mould. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of fungal hyphae (thread-like structures) growing on the surface of bread (blue). These have grown from fungal spores (small red dots) that landed on the bread after drifting through the air. The bread is being digested by the fungi, and this network (mycelium) of hyphae forms. The fungi are also producing new spores. Two types of fungi are seen here. Penicillium sp. is dominant, forming spores from specialised hyphae (conidiophores, feathery red structures, several at lower right). The other fungus is Mucor mucedo, producing spores from its sac-like bodies called sporangia (globular, one at upper right).

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Size: 5351px × 3812px
Photo credit: © DR JEREMY BURGESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: biological, biology, bread, coloured, conidiophore, conidiophores, digesting, eumycota, false-coloured, food, fungal, fungi, fungus, hyphae, microbiological, microbiology, mold, mould, mouldy, mucedo, mucor, mycelium, mycology, nature, penicillium, reproduction, reproductive, sem, spoilage, spoiling, sporangia, sporangium, spore, spores