Examine what separates mushrooms, mildews, molds, and yeasts from the plant and animal kingdoms
Learn about the important characteristics that distinguish fungi from plants and animals.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.From teeny-tiny ants to 200-ton whales, all members of the animal kingdom are composed of cells.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that are distinctly different from plants and animals and are therefore classified in their own kingdom, the kingdom Fungi.
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News •
Scientists Discover “D-Rex,” a Giant Fungus Unlike Anything Seen Before
• Oct. 22, 2026, 9:43 AM ET (SciTechDaily)
Transcript
[NARRATOR]Although scientists once thought that fungi were primitive plants, a number of important characteristics distinguish these organisms from both plants and animals.
One of these characteristics is the structure of fungi. They do not have the typical plant features of stems, leaves, and roots. Instead most fungal species onsist of a mass of branched filaments, called hyphae. The network of hyphae produced by an individual fungus is called the mycelium. The mycelium forms the thallus, or body, of the typical fungus.
In almost all fungi the hyphae that make up the thallus have cell walls, which is a characteristic of plants. However, the chemical makeup of fungi cell walls is quite different from that of plants. Instead of cellulose, the material that makes up fungi cell walls is known as chitin, a chemical often found in animal exoskeletons.
Fungi also obtain nutrition in a specialized manner. Most fungi are saprotrophs, or decomposers, and absorb nutrients from dead organisms. Some fungi are parasitic and feed on living organisms, usually plants.
Given their many differences from plants and animals, fungi are clearly a unique lifeform and are placed in their own kingdom, the Kingdom Fungi.
One of these characteristics is the structure of fungi. They do not have the typical plant features of stems, leaves, and roots. Instead most fungal species onsist of a mass of branched filaments, called hyphae. The network of hyphae produced by an individual fungus is called the mycelium. The mycelium forms the thallus, or body, of the typical fungus.
In almost all fungi the hyphae that make up the thallus have cell walls, which is a characteristic of plants. However, the chemical makeup of fungi cell walls is quite different from that of plants. Instead of cellulose, the material that makes up fungi cell walls is known as chitin, a chemical often found in animal exoskeletons.
Fungi also obtain nutrition in a specialized manner. Most fungi are saprotrophs, or decomposers, and absorb nutrients from dead organisms. Some fungi are parasitic and feed on living organisms, usually plants.
Given their many differences from plants and animals, fungi are clearly a unique lifeform and are placed in their own kingdom, the Kingdom Fungi.
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