What do mushrooms, bread, wine, beer, and rotting organisms all have in common? It is obvious that some are edible while others are not. Mushrooms are found in nature, while wine and beer are clearly beverages processed by humans. As for rotting organisms, those typically aren't of much interest to most people. However, all of these examples have a common thread: the kingdom Fungi.
The kingdom Fungi includes a tremendous variety of organisms that are neither plant nor animal. These unique multicellular eukaryotes include edible examples like mushrooms and organisms such as yeast, which makes our bread rise and ferments our beer and wine. And their impact on our world as decomposers is absolutely crucial to every ecosystem. In this lesson, you'll learn more about the members of the kingdom Fungi and gain a better understanding of how fungi function in our world.
Characteristics of the Kingdom Fungi
As previously mentioned, the kingdom Fungi encompasses a wide variety of living organisms. Scientists estimate that there are hundreds of thousands of fungus species on Earth. At one time, it was thought that fungi were simply primitive versions of plants. However, further discoveries led to the realization that fungi were different enough to belong to their very own kingdom. Let's take a look at some of the common characteristics of these organisms.
Members of the kingdom Fungi are eukaryotes, meaning they have complex cells with a nucleus and organelles. Most are multicellular, with the exception of single-celled yeast. Structurally, fungi are made up of individual feathery filaments called hyphae. You have certainly observed these filaments, probably with disgust, if you've ever pulled out an old Tupperware of food from the refrigerator.
The hyphae group together to form a conglomerate called the mycelium. You may notice that when you cut into a mushroom, it has a spongy feel. This is because it is actually made up of a mass of very tightly packed hyphae, and thus, is not exactly solid.
All fungi are heterotrophic, meaning that they cannot make their own food like plants. Like us, they must gain nutrition from other organisms. So they seek out food sources and eat them, correct? Not exactly. Have you ever seen a mushroom hunting its dinner? Instead, like a parasite inside a body, they grow on organisms and absorb their nutrients.
As an example, let's think about our faithful kitchen friend who we previously mentioned in the Tupperware. One day, you have a container of ripe, plump strawberries. After they sit out for several days, you notice the white fuzz of mold begin to appear