Question

What are three facts about fungi?

Answer 1

Hint: Fungi are placed into another kingdom along with Plantae, Animalia, Protozoa, Porifera. They are Eukaryotic organisms which include mushrooms, yeast and moulds. They are heterotrophs.

Complete Answer: -
The word Fungus is derived from the Greek word which means mushroom. The branch of biology which deals with the study of fungi is known as mycology. They are more closely related to animals than to plants.
The important characteristics of fungi are-
1. The fungi are eukaryotic organisms. All the membrane bound organelles like nucleus, Golgi, mitochondria are absent.
2. The cell wall of fungi is made up of chitin and glucans. They are the only organisms that have two structural components in their cell wall. They do not resemble plants as the plant cell wall is made up of cellulose.
3. They are heterotrophs and they have thread like hyphae or mycelium which helps in absorbing the nutrients from the substrate.
4. The fungi are the important decomposers in the ecological system. They help in recycling the nutrients from the soil to the atmosphere.
5. The fungi have flagella. So, they can move through air and water.
6. Some fungi show symbiosis with the plants and animals. For example- lichens- symbiosis between algae and fungi.
7. The unicellular yeasts reproduce by budding and budding and fission.

Note: -
Some fungi like yeast can undergo fermentation. They convert the glucose into ethanol. The yeast is used in the bakery and brewery as they produce carbon dioxide and ethanol. The mushrooms are commonly eaten throughout the world.