>> From: David Hagerberg <mik_daha at luecology.ecol.lu.se>
>> Date: Friday, September 26, 1997 8:01 AM
>>>> Hello!
>>>> In our PhD-course in mycology we started to discuss what special
>> features there are in a fungal cell compared to the normal eukaryotic
>> cell. Soon we started to discuss what the *normal* eukaryotic cell is.
>>>> Now I would like to release for discussion:
>>>> What is a normal eukaryotic cell?
>>>> What is the most common eukaryotic cell?
>>>> Looking forward for opinions!
>>>> Best wishes,
>>>> David Hagerberg
>At 19.49 97-09-26 -0400, Art Repak wrote:
>Normal is an overused term. It generally means something like an average in
>a given population of cells or organisms. I don't think there is such a
>thing as a "normal" anything- biodiversity is the rule not the exception.
Though, something has to be learnt in biology classes!?
>Common eukaryotic cells? I'm prejudice- I think the protozoa are the most
>common eukaryotic cells. However fungi cover more ground and may be
>considered the world's largest organism since their mycelial masses can
>cover a few miles in radius.
Saying protozoan cells are more common than e.g. fungal is like saying
that bikes are more common than opel cars. There are a vast difference
between protozoans compared to fungi, and the vastness also exists in
the physiologies. There is a problem since the definition of a fungal
cell is somewhat hard.
In the question of fungi, would not the biomass plants be higher than
the fungal?