Question

1. Why would fungal spores generally only be produced when nutrients are depleted?

2. Yeast is a fungi that you may or may not know makes your grape juice into wine and whatever beer starts as... into beer. If you leave a vat open, and don't add yeast, it still will ferment. In fact for some beers, this process, not adding yeast, is required. Why?

Answer 1

1) Most commonly the fungal spores are produced when the nutrients are depleted. Also the seeds of the fungi or spore will not germinate unless it is acted upon by a mycorrhizal partner (basidiomycota). Consider the example in orchids. If the nutrients present in the seeds are completely removed, the symbionts in the fungi will trigger the growth of the plant by providing proper nutritional requirements like carbohydrates and minerals.

2) Mostly brewing of beer essentially require yeast for fermentation. Without yeast the sugar cannot be turned in to alcohol. But most of the wines, spirits can be made without the application of yeast. Wine is the most conventional form of alcohol which can be made without yeast. Wild fermentation is a commonly adopted method without adding yeast. Some of the natural alternatives for yeast are grapes and other fruits, rice bran, bread, etc.