ABSTRACT
Fungi are not made up of cells but of thread-like hyphae (singular hypha) which contain several nuclei, branching into a network structure. Sometimes cross-walls divide the hyphae. The hyphae spread throughout the soil penetrating between the particles. This network is referred to as mycelium (fungal mycelium). Mycelia are what gives a woodland soil its so called ‘earthy’ smell. It is believed that fungal mycelium constitutes the largest single living organism in the world and in the redwood forests of North America some have been estimated to extend several kilometres in diameter.
