The fungi (singular, fungus) once were considered to be plants because they grow out of the soil and have rigid cell walls. Now they are placed independently in their own kingdom of equal rank with the animals and plants and, in fact, are more closely related to animals than to plants.

Fungi are not plants. Living things are organized for study into large, basic groups called kingdoms. Fungi were listed in the Plant Kingdom for many years. Then scientists learned that fungi show a closer relation to animals, but are unique and separate life forms.

Many studies have identified several distinct morphological, biochemical, and genetic features in fungi that clearly distinguish them from the other kingdoms. For these reasons, fungi are placed in their own kingdom, separate from plants, as shown in the Domain and Six Kingdom Classifications Table.

Fungi are usually classified in four divisions: the Chytridiomycota (chytrids), Zygomycota (bread molds), Ascomycota (yeasts and sac fungi), and the Basidiomycota (club fungi). The Deuteromycota includes all fungi which have lost the ability to reproduce sexually.

Alexopolous

The chytrids are the simplest and most primitive Eumycota, or true fungi. The evolutionary record shows that the first recognizable chytrids appeared during the late pre-Cambrian period, more than 500 million years ago.

Light: Fungi can only grow in the dark. For the most part, light does not play a role in how well fungi grow. There are some conditions where light is necessary for reproduction.

Highly dangerous Cryptococcus fungi love sugar and will consume it anywhere because it helps them reproduce. In particular, they thrive on a sugar called inositol which is abundant in the human brain and spinal cord.

Examples of fungi are yeasts, rusts, stinkhorns, puffballs, truffles, molds, mildews and mushrooms.

A new study in mice reveals that Candida albicans — a fungus largely perceived as harmless — can cause memory problems and brain abnormalities that resemble those characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.

Difference Between Protists and Fungi

• Protists: Protists are mostly unicellular.
• Fungi: Fungi are mostly multicellular.
• Fungi: Fungi contain a cell wall made up of chitin.
• Protists: No septa are found in protists.
• Protists: Green algae, slime molds, euglena and amoeba are the examples of protists.

Both the plant and fungus kingdoms have some common characteristics. While both are eukaryotic and don’t move, plants are autotrophic – making their own energy – and have cell walls made of cellulose, but fungi are heterotrophic – taking in food for energy – and have cell walls made of chitin.

Examples of prokaryotes Bacteria and archaea are the two types of prokaryotes.