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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Hypha
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1992-09-02
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(plural hyphae) a delicate, usually branching
filament, many of which collectively form the
mycelium and fruiting bodies of a fungus.
Food molecules and other substances are
transported along hyphae by the movement of
the cytoplasm, known as `cytoplasmic
streaming'. Typically hyphae grow by
increasing in length from the tips and by the
formation of side-branches. Hyphae of the
higher fungi (the ascomycetes and
basidiomycetes) are divided by cross-walls or
septa at intervals, whereas those of lower
fungi (for example, bread mould) are
undivided. However, even the higher fungi are
not truly cellular, as each septum is pierced
by a central pore, through which cytoplasm,
and even nuclei, can flow. The hyphal walls
contain chitin, a polysaccharide.