Fungi
Fungi are in their own kingdom. Like humans, Fungi are heterotrophs meaning that they cannot manufacture their own food as plants can do. Most species of fungi are saprophytic meaning that they decompose dead matter in order to obtain nutrition.
Some fungi form beneficial relationships with other organisms in a symbiotic relationship, such as lichens (which form a relationship with a photosynthetic algae and some bacteria) and mycorrhizae (which form a symbiotic relationship with the roots of approximately 90 percent of terrestrial plants). In these types of relationships, both members benefit with each gaining something beneficial from the other.
Other species of fungi are parasitic, and obtain nutrients from living organisms. Some examples of parasitic fungi include black spot on roses, rusts and smuts, athlete's foot, ringworm, Candida, Dutch elm disease, Chestnut blight (which has essentially decimated the American Chestnut in North America). They store their foods in the form of glycogen, as animal species do, while plants and green algae store their food as starch.
Fungi may be either unicellar (yeasts) or multicellular (mushrooms, puffballs, etcetera), but most species are multicellular. Fungi have cell walls, as plants do, but in the case of fungi, the cell walls are made of chitin, which is the same material that composes the exoskeletons of arthropods (i.e. insects, crayfish, and spiders).
They are valuable to the environment as they are the principle decomposers in every ecosystem as they can break down most organic compounds including lignin (a compound of wood that is difficult to break down) to aid in decomposition. Some species of Fungi, in particular the lichens, can grow on and break down bare rock, making them important in the formation of soil. They also have extracellular digestion so they secrete enzymes into the environment.
Some fungi form beneficial relationships with other organisms in a symbiotic relationship, such as lichens (which form a relationship with a photosynthetic algae and some bacteria) and mycorrhizae (which form a symbiotic relationship with the roots of approximately 90 percent of terrestrial plants). In these types of relationships, both members benefit with each gaining something beneficial from the other.
Other species of fungi are parasitic, and obtain nutrients from living organisms. Some examples of parasitic fungi include black spot on roses, rusts and smuts, athlete's foot, ringworm, Candida, Dutch elm disease, Chestnut blight (which has essentially decimated the American Chestnut in North America). They store their foods in the form of glycogen, as animal species do, while plants and green algae store their food as starch.
Fungi may be either unicellar (yeasts) or multicellular (mushrooms, puffballs, etcetera), but most species are multicellular. Fungi have cell walls, as plants do, but in the case of fungi, the cell walls are made of chitin, which is the same material that composes the exoskeletons of arthropods (i.e. insects, crayfish, and spiders).
They are valuable to the environment as they are the principle decomposers in every ecosystem as they can break down most organic compounds including lignin (a compound of wood that is difficult to break down) to aid in decomposition. Some species of Fungi, in particular the lichens, can grow on and break down bare rock, making them important in the formation of soil. They also have extracellular digestion so they secrete enzymes into the environment.