Oomycetes (Noun)
Meaning
Nonphotosynthetic fungi that resemble algae and that reproduce by forming oospores; sometimes classified as protoctists.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The water mold Saprolegnia is a type of oomycetes that infects fish and other aquatic organisms.
- Phytophthora infestans, a member of the oomycetes, caused the Irish potato famine by infecting potato plants.
- Some oomycetes are biotrophic, meaning they form long-term relationships with their hosts, while others are necrotrophic, killing their hosts quickly.
- The oomycetes have been known to infect a wide range of hosts, from fish to plants to other fungi.
- Despite their fungal-like behavior, oomycetes are more closely related to brown algae than they are to true fungi.