Main page <> Index of descriptions <> Previous description <> Yeast <> Next description

Yeast

A complex group of fungi resembling one another in existing as single cells that "bud" directly to form new cells. The colonies are pasty in appearance. Some yeasts may form ascospores within their cells. Common in moist habitats and often able to grow at reduced oxygen levels. Holomorphs various and not necessarily related to one another.

The pictures above left illustrates Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a yeast used for the rising of bread and the brewing of beer. The one at right is probably Pichia membranaefaciens, a species found in a variety of habitats. It often colonizes stored foods where it may form a thin film over the surface. The picture at left shows a jar of olives colonized by P. membranaefaciens

Main page <> Index of descriptions <> Previous description <> Yeast <> Next description