Question

The term 'fungus' was coined by.
A. Gaspard Bauhin
B. De bary
C. BJ Butler
D. Linnaeus

Answer 1

Hint: The term fungus in Latin means ‘mushrooms’, Carolus Linnaeus coined the term fungi (plural form of fungus) in 1973, as a plant class.

Complete answer: Fungus (plural fungi) is something that we see in our day to day lives, as a matter of fact we even consume them at times, yeasts and mushrooms being the most favorite ones. Fungi are eukaryotic and are heterotrophic organisms.
They are not considered as plants( as fungi are incapable of photosynthesis) or as animals, hence, they are placed in a separate 'kingdom'.

A characteristic feature of fungi is their cell wall which is made of ‘chitin’, unlike plants who have cellulose in their cell walls. A single celled fungi is yeast where as a mushroom is multicellular. They are one of the most important organic decomposers of nature involved in nutrient cycling. However, the term fungus was used to name the ‘kingdom’ by Jahn and Jahn (1949) and Whittaker (1959.)

So the correct answer is D Linnaeus

Note: According to the Encyclopedia of Biodiversity there are more than 75000 species of fungi but estimates state that there are around 2 lakh species. As compared to plants and animals, little is known about these organisms.
These biologically diverse groups of organisms can cause diseases in humans and animals but are also useful in various industries like bakery, beer making, medicine etc.