Learn about the kingdom Fungi, an organism that is different than plants and animals
Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that are distinctly different from plants and animals and are therefore classified in their own kingdom, the kingdom Fungi.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about phytoplankton's role as the oxygen-producing foundation of many marine food chains.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Both belong to the order Lepidoptera.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.We're basically living in one big lava lamp.Media Editors: Michele Metych , Lauren Sims
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.What is food for a mushroom? That depends.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Some fungi are important pathogens of plants that cause diseases such as corn smut, which results in significant losses of corn crops each year.
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© Open University (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Learn about fungi in the forest ecosystem, including how some fungi digest plant matter (saprotrophism), while others form mutualistic (mycorrhizal) relationships with plants.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.There are fungus among us. How well do we understand them?
News •
Scientists Discover “D-Rex,” a Giant Fungus Unlike Anything Seen Before
• Oct. 22, 2026, 9:43 AM ET (SciTechDaily)
Transcript
NARRATOR: For decades scientists considered fungi to be plants. After all, they do have cell walls, an important plant feature. But the more scientists learned about fungi, the more traits they found that were not plantlike.
Fungi lack chlorophyll and so cannot photosynthesize. They also lack stems, leaves, and roots. And it turns out that their cell wall is made of a material most often found in animal skeletons.
It became clear that fungi are not plants or animals but an organism specialized for an unusual mode of survival, absorbing nutrients from the bodies of living and dead creatures. Today most scientists believe that fungi are a unique life-form deserving of their own kingdom, the kingdom Fungi.
Fungi lack chlorophyll and so cannot photosynthesize. They also lack stems, leaves, and roots. And it turns out that their cell wall is made of a material most often found in animal skeletons.
It became clear that fungi are not plants or animals but an organism specialized for an unusual mode of survival, absorbing nutrients from the bodies of living and dead creatures. Today most scientists believe that fungi are a unique life-form deserving of their own kingdom, the kingdom Fungi.
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