Sarah Brown
Mushrooms are neither plants nor animals. They are part of the Fungi kingdom, which also includes yeasts, moulds, wood ears or conks, and several other different types of unicellular and multicellular organisms. Fungi have a unique way of feeding themselves, as they do not photosynthesize like plants or ingest food like animals. Instead, they live inside their food and secrete enzymes to dissolve nutrients, which they then absorb. While fungi were historically classified as plants, molecular evidence has revealed that they are, in fact, more closely related to animals than plants.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Fungi |
| Examples | Yeasts, moulds, mushrooms, wood-ears or conks |
| Food | Mushrooms are neither plants nor animals |
| Spores | Produced instead of seeds |
| Spores | Almost as fine as smoke |
| Spores | Land in a suitable place and germinate, developing filaments that become a new mycelium |
| Mycelium | Matlike or netlike network of filaments infusing a patch of soil or wood |
| Mycelium | Alternative to animal leather and plastic packaging |
| Relationship to plants | More closely related to animals than plants |
| Relationship to animals | More closely related to animals than plants |
| Feeding | Do not photosynthesize like plants and neither ingest food like animals |
| Feeding | Live inside their food and secrete enzymes to dissolve nutrients they absorb |
| Taxonomic classifications | Not immobile and have rigid cell walls |
| Taxonomic classifications | Historically grouped with plants |
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What You'll Learn
Mushrooms are fungi, not plants or animals
Mushrooms are a lot like plants, but they are not plants or animals. They constitute their own kingdom: the Fungi. This kingdom includes yeasts, moulds, smuts, and rusts, in addition to the familiar mushroom-forming species. Mushrooms and fungi play a vital role in nature and to humans. They are responsible for almost all our food production and most of our processed materials. They are also crucial to protecting our climate and have been used to create antibiotics and other drugs.
Fungi have been historically grouped with plants, but they are more closely related to animals than plants. They share a common ancestor in the form of an opisthokont, which is a cell with a posterior flagellum, similar to human spermatozoids. The early classification of fungi as plants was based on observations of mushrooms, which led to the determination that fungi are immobile and have rigid cell walls that support them. However, it is now known that fungi are not immobile.
Fungi have a unique way of feeding themselves, which sets them apart from other organisms. Unlike plants, they do not photosynthesize, and unlike animals, they do not ingest their food. Instead, they live inside their food and secrete enzymes to dissolve the nutrients they absorb. This process of decomposition is fundamental to enabling life, as it breaks down dead materials and keeps us from drowning in a sea of leaf litter and fallen branches.
Mycorrhizal fungi form mutually beneficial relationships with the roots of plants. They help the plants absorb water and minerals, and in return, the plants provide nutrients for the fungi. Many trees, orchids, and other plants depend on these fungal partners for survival. Fungi also have a significant impact on food spoilage, having spoiled grain, fruit, and vegetable crops for millennia.
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Fungi are more closely related to animals than plants
Mushrooms are a lot like plants, but they are not plants or animals. They are part of their own kingdom: the Fungi. This kingdom includes yeasts, moulds, smuts, and rusts, in addition to the familiar mushroom-forming species. Fungi were previously classified as plants, but this was based on the observable similarities between mushrooms and plants, such as their rigid cell walls. However, fungi lack chlorophyll and chloroplasts, which are unifying features of plants.
Fungi are, in fact, more closely related to animals than they are to plants. In 1998, scientists discovered that fungi split from animals about 1.538 billion years ago, whereas plants split from animals about 1.547 billion years ago. This means that fungi are genetically more similar to animals than to plants. The last common ancestor of plants, fungi, and animals was earlier than the last common ancestor of fungi and animals, indicating that fungi and animals are equally related to plants.
Fungi and animals form a clade called opisthokonta, which is named after a single, posterior flagellum present in their last common ancestor. This flagellum still propels primitive fungal spores and animal sperm today. Computational phylogenetics and molecular evidence also support the idea that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. These approaches provide robust evolutionary histories that indicate organismal relationships and estimate when they diverged from common ancestors.
The classification of fungi as plants has led to some curious events in history. For example, the earliest description of fungi pathogenic to insects was as a plant root. Additionally, the Mycological Society of America was established when fungi were still considered plants, and its journal Mycologia originated from the New York Botanical Garden. This pairing of fungi with plants has led to some misclassifications and misunderstandings about the nature of fungi.
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Fungi have unique feeding mechanisms
Mushrooms are neither plants nor animals. They are part of their own kingdom: the Fungi. Fungi include yeasts, moulds, smuts, and rusts, as well as the more familiar mushroom-forming species.
Fungi grow as hyphae on or in solid substrates, or as single cells in aquatic environments. The growth as hyphae is specifically adapted for growth on solid surfaces and to invade substrates and tissues. They can exert large penetrative forces, puncturing plant tissues and even the eggs of nematodes. The filamentous fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus, for example, uses an appressorium to generate enough pressure to puncture plant tissues.
Some bacteria and insects are also able to feed on fungi. Bacteria that feed on living fungal hyphae are known as bacterial mycophagy. They can kill fungal cells, cause them to secrete more material from their cells, or enter the cells to feed internally. Insects such as flies, beetles, wasps, and cockroaches also feed on fungi. Some species of fly larvae feed on fungal fruiting bodies, and some beetles and wasps use fungi to soften wood that their larvae eat.
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Fungi play a vital role in nature and to humans
Mushrooms are neither plants nor animals. They are part of the Fungi kingdom, which includes yeasts, moulds, smuts, and rusts. Fungi play a vital role in nature and to humans in several ways.
Firstly, fungi are important decomposers in most ecosystems. They break down dead organic matter, including fallen leaves, sticks, and branches, preventing them from piling up and maintaining the ecosystem's balance. Fungi are also essential for the growth of most plants. Mycorrhizal fungi form mutually beneficial relationships with plant roots, helping them absorb water and minerals, while the plants provide nutrients for the fungi. Many plants, including trees and orchids, rely on these fungal partners for survival.
Fungi also contribute to soil biodiversity and health. They transform and cycle nutrients, making them available for plants and promoting vegetation growth. Additionally, fungi play a role in carbon sequestration, helping to mitigate climate change.
In human life, fungi are used in various ways that benefit us. They are a source of food, with mushrooms being both delicious and nutritious. Fungi are also used in fermentation processes to produce bread, cheese, alcoholic beverages, and other food products. Furthermore, fungi have medicinal value, as they produce valuable drugs and antibiotics that help fight bacterial infections and are used in organ transplants and stopping bleeding.
Fungi also have commercial importance, as they are used in the production of antibiotics, anticoagulants, and other medicines. Additionally, they are model organisms for studying eukaryotic genetics and metabolism, contributing to advancements in modern genetics and biotechnology.
Overall, fungi play a critical role in maintaining ecosystem balance, supporting plant growth, and providing various benefits to humans, including food, fermentation, medicine, and scientific research.
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Fungi have their own kingdom
Mushrooms are neither plants nor animals. They are part of the kingdom Fungi, which includes yeasts, moulds, smuts, and rusts, in addition to the more familiar mushroom-forming species. Fungi have their own kingdom because they possess unique characteristics that set them apart from other forms of life.
Historically, fungi were classified as members of the plant kingdom due to similarities in lifestyle and morphology. Both fungi and plants are typically immobile, and they often share similar growth habitats, such as soil. Mushrooms, in particular, can form conspicuous fruit bodies that resemble plants like mosses. However, fungi lack chlorophyll, which is present in plants, and instead obtain nutrients from other materials.
Fungi are distinct from plants, animals, bacteria, and some protists due to the presence of chitin in their cell walls. Like animals, they are heterotrophs, acquiring food by absorbing dissolved molecules and secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. Unlike plants, fungi do not photosynthesize. Instead, they grow and spread through spores, which can travel through air or water.
Fungi play a crucial role in ecological systems as the principal decomposers, breaking down dead materials and keeping the environment clear of leaf litter and fallen branches. They also form mutually beneficial relationships with plants, aiding in water and mineral absorption, and are used by horticulturalists to encourage plant growth. Additionally, fungi have various applications in medicine, food and beverage production, and other areas, highlighting their significance across multiple domains.
The kingdom Fungi is incredibly diverse, with an estimated 2.2 to 3.8 million species globally. However, as of 2020, only around 148,000 species have been described, indicating that much remains to be discovered about this complex and dynamic kingdom.
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Frequently asked questions
No, mushrooms are not plants. They are part of their own kingdom: the Fungi. They do not photosynthesize like plants and do not have chlorophyll.
No, mushrooms are not animals. They are not ingested like animals and do not have a spine.
Mushrooms are not plants because they are more closely related to animals than plants. They have different cellular components and cell membrane compositions.
Mushrooms are not animals because they are immobile and have rigid cell walls. They also feed themselves differently by living inside their food and secreting enzymes to dissolve nutrients.
