PR

IMA

RY

Natural Science

Richmond

Natural Science 6 is a collective work, conceived, designed and created by the Primary Education department at Santillana, under the supervision of Teresa Grence Ruiz.

WRITER Belén Garrido

MANAGING EDITOR Sheila Tourle

PROJECT EDITOR Geona Edwards

EDITOR Beatriz Bejarano del Palacio

PROOFREADING Jane Drummond James Price

ILLUSTRATIONS Alademosca il∙lustració Digitalartis José Santos

Do not write in this book. Do all the activities in your notebook.

6The wonder of mushrooms

Wild mushrooms are living things that grow on forest floors, tree trunks and even on top of each other. They need moisture, cool temperatures and some light. Wild mushrooms are seasonal and can be found in autumn and spring.

There are many different types of wild mushrooms, but they can look very similar. This makes them very hard to identify. Wild mushrooms are often spectacular. Some are edible and delicious, but others are poisonous.

In addition, some wild mushrooms have healing capabilities. These mushrooms can help fight against bacteria, inflammation and even cancer. They are known as medicinal mushrooms.

Fungi and other kingdoms

Where can you find wild mushrooms?

Why can you find wild mushrooms in autumn and spring?

Why are mushrooms difficult to identify?

What are medicinal mushrooms?

Have you ever been mushrooming? Where did you go?

Look at the mushrooms on page 59. Which species do you think is edible? Which do you think is poisonous?

SPEAKING. Do you think mushrooms are plants or animals?

Read and understand KNOW HOW TO

Describe different fungi and how people use them.

Identify the main characteristics of protists and monerans.

FINAL TASK

Describe a mushroom.

6.1

58 fifty-eight

The five kingdoms

Living things are classified into five kingdoms: animals, plants, fungi, protists and monerans.

Living things from the same kingdom share similar characteristics.

1 Which kingdoms include unicellular living things?

2 Which kingdoms include living things that can make their own food?

3 Write two characteristics of each kingdom.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?

Coprinus micaeus Amanita muscaria

59fifty-nine

The Fungi kingdom

Fungi are different living things from plants and animals. Like plants, they cannot move about and many of them grow in soil. Like animals, fungi cannot make their own food.

Fungi can feed on other organisms or their remains. Therefore, they can be found not only on the ground, but also on pieces of wood or on decomposing food.

Types of fungi

Fungi are classified into two groups:

Unicellular fungi, like yeasts.

Multicellular fungi, like mushrooms and moulds. 1

Some fungi produce mushrooms. A mushroom is only the visible part of a fungus. The main part of these fungi grows beneath the soil, and can be several kilometres long! In autumn and spring, the fungi grow above ground as mushrooms so they can reproduce. The main parts of a mushroom are the cap, the gills, the ring and the stem. 2

A B

2 Parts of a mushroom.

ring

stem

cap

gills

Have you ever seen mushrooms growing in the wild? Describe them.

I saw some mushrooms last spring. They were growing near a tree…

Have you ever seen bread that looked like the bread in the photograph? Explain.

Look at the diagram. Describe each part of the mushroom.

WORK WITH THE PICTURE

6.2

1 Different types of fungi. A. Yeast seen through a microscope. B. White mushroom. C. Bread mould.

C

60 sixty

Fungi and people

Many fungi are beneficial to people, but others can be harmful.

Beneficial fungi

Some fungi can produce edible mushrooms.

Some medicines, like penicillin, are produced by fungi.

Blue cheese is made from mould; bread is made from yeast.

Harmful fungi

Some fungi can produce poisonous mushrooms, which can be deadly.

Athlete’s foot is an infection caused by a fungus.

ACTIVITIES

1 WRITING. Write sentences describing how fungi are similar to plants, and how they are similar to animals.

2 Look at the photograph and answer the questions.

Which living thing can you see? Which kingdom does it belong to? Is this living thing unicellular or multicellular?

3 Read, think and answer the questions.

How are yeasts and moulds similar? How are they different? Is a mushroom a complete fungus or only part of a fungus? Explain. Why is it so important to identify mushrooms correctly?

6.3

6.4

Black mould is very toxic and can cause respiratory problems.

6

61sixty-one

The Protista kingdom

Protists include two very different types of organisms: algae and protozoa.

Algae

Algae are aquatic living things that can be unicellular or multicellular. They can make their own food. Some multicellular marine algae can grow to a very large size. 1

Algae are very nutritious, so they are used as food in many countries. They are also used as fertilizer and to produce cosmetics. 2

Protozoa

Protozoa are unicellular living things that live in aquatic environments. They feed on other organisms. Some protozoa can cause diseases, like malaria. 3

3 Examples of protozoa. A. Amoeba. B. Paramecium.

A B

1 Examples of algae. A. Diatoms: unicellular algae. B. Kelp: multicellular algae.

A B

2 Uses of algae. A. Sushi. B. Fertilizer. C. Beauty mask.

A B C

Compare protozoa and algae.

Protozoa are always unicellular. Algae can be unicellular, but...

Which of these living things can only be seen through a microscope?

WORK WITH THE PICTURE6.5

62 sixty-two

Monerans are unicellular living things. This kingdom includes bacteria, the most abundant of all living things.

Bacteria

Bacteria are the smallest and simplest living things, and can only be seen through a microscope. 4

Most bacteria feed on other organisms, but some bacteria make their own food.

Bacteria can be found everywhere in the world. They can live in all kinds of environments: in water, soil, air or inside other living things.

Some bacteria are helpful, like the ones used to make yoghurt, but others are harmful, like the ones that cause cholera.

The Monera kingdom

4 Bacteria on the head of a pin seen through an electron microscope.

Viruses

Viruses are not included in any of the five kingdoms because they are not considered living things. A virus is not a cell. It is a microscopic body that can only reproduce inside living things. Viruses may cause illnesses.

LEARN MORE

The flu virus.

ACTIVITIES

1 Copy and complete the sentences with algae, protozoa and bacteria.

a. and only live in aquatic environments.

b. can be multicellular.

c. and can make their own food.

d. and can be harmful.

2 Read, think and answer the questions.

How are animals and protozoa similar? How are they different? How are plants and algae similar? How are they different? Why are bacteria the most abundant of all living things? Why are viruses not considered living things?

3 ICT. Search the Internet for more examples of helpful and harmful bacteria, and make a list.

6.6

6.7

6

63sixty-three

Observe and describe the cap and stem.

1 How wide is the cap of your mushroom? How is it attached to the stem? How long and wide is the stem?

2 Describe the cap of the mushroom using one of these words:

square round flat

3 Can you identify any other parts of the mushroom?

Observe and describe the gills.

4 Remove the stem and observe the gills under the cap. Notice their colour and describe how they are arranged, using these expressions:

they are close to/far apart from each other

they are the same/a different size

they are/aren’t attached to the stem

Show that you can do it.

5 Make an index card with your description of the mushroom. Include a drawing or photograph.

6 Observe the photographs of the poplar mushroom and make an index card as in Activity 5.

KNOW HOW TO

Describe a mushroom

Describing a mushroom is different from describing a plant or an animal. Different things have to be observed in each case. You are going to describe a mushroom.

64 sixty-four

1 SUMMARY. Copy and complete the text in your notebook, using these words.

food - unicellular - protozoa - environments - beneficial - monerans -

harmful - multicellular - aquatic - algae - remains - bacteria

Fungi can be unicellular or . They feed on other living things or their , and they cannot move about. Some fungi are and others are harmful.

Protists include and .

Algae are aquatic living things that can be unicellular or multicellular. They make their own .

All protozoa are organisms that live in environments. They feed on other living things.

are unicellular living things. They include , and can live in all kinds of

. Some bacteria can make their own food. They can be beneficial or .

2 Look at the photographs. Identify the living things and say which kingdom they belong to.

3 Draw a Venn diagram in your notebook and include similarities and differences between fungi, protists and monerans.

4 Look at the photos. Which living things are involved in producing these foods?

5 GROUP WORK. Find out about edible mushrooms that grow in your area and prepare a poster. Include their name, description, growing conditions and photographs.

6 CRITICAL THINKING. Algae and some bacteria can make their own food.

Which specialized organelles can be found in their cells? Explain your answer.

Choose and carry out one of the following activities.

A. Make a plasticine model of a mushroom and label its parts.

B. Search the Internet for information about beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. Prepare a presentation for the class.

C. Write a story about a new virus. Describe its effects, where it lives and how it is transmitted. Finally, draw a picture of your virus as seen through a microscope.

Show your skills

FINAL ACTIVITIES6

6.8

65sixty-five

TEST YOURSELF

Check your vocabulary

algae unicellular or multicellular aquatic living things which make their own food.

angiosperms plants that produce flowers and fruits containing seeds.

backbone a column of ring-like bones which all vertebrates have.

bacteria the smallest and simplest living things. They are unicellular.

cells the basic units of life.

cell wall the rigid covering around the membrane of plant cells.

cytoplasm a jelly-like material between the nucleus and the membrane of a cell.

chloroplasts specialized organelles in plants. They absorb sunlight.

ferns non-flowering plants with large leaves called fronds.

fungi unicellular or multicellular living things which cannot move about or make their own food.

gymnosperms plants that produce seeds grouped together in cones.

invertebrates animals with no backbone, such as sponges and worms.

membrane the covering around a cell.

multicellular multicellular living things are made up of many cells.

mushroom the visible part of some fungi.

nucleus the part of a cell that controls its function.

organ a group of tissues that join together to perform a common function.

organism a living thing. Cells, tissues, organs and systems work together to form an organism.

protists protozoa and algae. They can be unicellular or multicellular.

protozoa unicellular aquatic living things which feed on other organisms.

system a group of organs that join together to perform a common function.

tissue a group of cells that join together to perform a common function.

unicellular unicellular living things are made up of a single cell.

vertebrae the ring-like bones that make up the backbone.

vertebrates animals with a backbone, such as mammals and birds.

1 Improve your vocabulary by adding these words:

Types of animal and plant tissues.

The groups of vertebrate and invertebrate animals.

Types of fungi and the parts of a mushroom.

2 Identify the picture to the right. Copy it and label its four main parts.

sixty-six66

Check your progressCopy and write the correct answers in your notebook.

1 The part of a cell that controls its function is the…a. cytoplasm.b. nucleus.c. membrane.

2 Organs in multicellular living things are made up of…a. tissues that work independently.b. systems that perform the same function.c. tissues that work together.

3 The plant tissue that performs photosynthesis is…a. dermal tissue.b. ground tissue.c. vascular tissue.

4 Amphibians are…a. oviparous vertebrates.b. viviparous invertebrates.c. viviparous vertebrates.

5 Arthropods are…a. a type of fungus. b. invertebrates with an external skeleton and

jointed legs.c. invertebrates with long, soft bodies.

6 The spores of ferns are found in…a. capsules.b. sori.c. cones.

7 Seed plants include…a. gymnosperms and angiosperms.b. molluscs and echinoderms.c. mosses and ferns.

8 Yeasts are…a. fungi with mushrooms.b. the visible part of fungi.c. unicellular fungi.

9 Protozoa are...a. unicellular.b. multicellular. c. unicellular and multicellular.

10 The smallest and simplest living things are...a. viruses.b. bacteria.c. fungi.

Check your answers

Correct the wrong answers. Write in your notebook which lessons you need to practise more.

Imagine you are a mycologist: a mushroom expert. You are going to lead a group of people on an excursion to find and pick mushrooms in the countryside. Give them a talk before you go out.

Start with a general explanation of mushrooms. Draw some pictures to help.

Talk to the group about picking and eating wild mushrooms. Do they need to follow any rules?

Think like a mycologist

SECOND TERM

sixty-seven 67