Emma Wilson
Mushrooms are a lot like plants, but they are not plants. They are fungi, which is a separate kingdom from plants, animals, and bacteria. Fungi were historically classified as plants due to similarities in lifestyle and morphology, such as growing in soil and forming conspicuous fruit bodies. However, mushrooms do not have chlorophyll and cannot produce their own food through photosynthesis like plants. Instead, they obtain nutrients by digesting other materials with externally secreted enzymes. Fungi also have cell walls made of chitin, while plants have cell walls made of cellulose. These differences place mushrooms and other fungi in a distinct kingdom, separate from plants.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of fungi, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. |
| Taxonomy | Mushrooms are part of the Fungi kingdom, which also includes yeasts, moulds, smuts, and rusts. |
| Historical Classification | Mushrooms were historically classified as plants due to similarities in lifestyle, morphology, and growth habitat. |
| Cell Walls | Fungi have rigid cell walls made of chitin, unlike plants, which have cellulose. |
| DNA | Fungi cells typically have half of a full set of DNA, while plant and animal cells have a full set. |
| Nutrition | Mushrooms lack chlorophyll and do not photosynthesize. They acquire nutrients by digesting other materials. |
| Uses | Mushrooms are used as food, medicine, and psychotropic substances. They are also used in the production of bread, beer, and blue cheese. |
| Identification | Mushrooms can be identified by their macroscopic structure, including the presence of juices, bruising reactions, odors, tastes, shades of color, habitat, and season. |
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What You'll Learn
Mushrooms are part of the fungi kingdom, not plants
Mushrooms are a lot like plants, but they are not plants. They are part of the fungi kingdom. Mushrooms were long classified as plants, but fungi are more closely related to animals than plants. Fungi, like animals, are heterotrophs; they get their energy and nutrients from digesting other things, rather than producing their own food through photosynthesis like plants. They do this by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment and absorbing dissolved molecules.
Fungi also have cell walls made rigid with chitin, rather than cellulose as in plants. Their cells usually have half of a full set of DNA, whereas in plants and animals, each cell has a full set and only eggs or sperm have half sets.
The word "mushroom" is used to identify edible sporophores, or the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of fungi, typically of the order Agaricales in the phylum Basidiomycota. The gills of the mushroom produce microscopic spores, which help the fungus spread across the ground or its occupant surface. When spores land in a suitable place, they germinate, developing the fine filaments that eventually become a new mycelium, or network of filaments.
Fungi have their own unique set of health benefits that cannot be found in the traditional plant and animal food groups. They are also used as biological pesticides to control weeds, plant diseases, and insect pests.
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Fungi are more closely related to animals than plants
Fungi, including mushrooms, are more closely related to animals than plants. This is a fact supported by molecular evidence. Fungi and animals form a clade called opisthokonta, which is named after a single, posterior flagellum present in their last common ancestor. This posterior flagellum propels primitive fungal spores and animal sperm.
Historically, fungi were classified as plants, due to similarities in lifestyle and morphology. Fungi and plants are both mainly immobile, and they often grow in the same habitats. Mushrooms, for example, form conspicuous fruit bodies that sometimes resemble plants such as mosses. However, these classifications were made without the context of evolution, instead placing organisms by perceived, observable similarity.
Fungi are distinct from plants in several ways. Unlike plants, fungi do not photosynthesise; they acquire their food by absorbing dissolved molecules, typically by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. Fungi also have cell walls made rigid with chitin, rather than cellulose, which is found in plants. Furthermore, their cells usually have half of a full set of DNA, whereas in plants and animals, each cell has a full set, and only eggs and sperm have half sets.
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 more closely related to animals than to plants.
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Mushrooms don't photosynthesise like plants
Mushrooms are the part of the fungus that sticks out of the ground, allowing the mushroom "babies" to fly off into the distance and land somewhere else. Fungi are more closely related to animals than plants. Fungi sit and eat other creatures, while plants use sunlight to make their own food through photosynthesis.
Fungi do not photosynthesize. Instead, they get their energy and nutrients from digesting other things, like animals do. The non-reproductive part of the fungus, called the mycelium, is located below the ground and can transport nutrients and water from the ground into the fungus. This is done by chemical reactions on the cell membrane of any of the fungus cells in the mycelium. The mycelium makes up most of the body mass of the individual fungus.
Fungi have cell walls made rigid with chitin, rather than cellulose as in plants. Their cells usually have half of a full set of DNA, whereas in plants and animals, each cell has a full set, and only eggs or sperm have half sets.
The common misconception that fungi are plants persists among the general public due to their historical classification and several similarities. Like plants, fungi often grow in the soil and, in the case of mushrooms, form conspicuous fruit bodies, which sometimes resemble plants such as mosses.
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Fungi have cell walls made of chitin, unlike plants
Fungi, including mushrooms, are often mistaken for plants because of their similar lifestyle and morphology. Fungi and plants are both mainly immobile, and fungi often grow in the soil. However, fungi are more closely related to animals than plants. Fungi have cell walls made of chitin, unlike plants, which have cellulose. Chitin is a major carbohydrate component of the fungal cell wall. It is found in the cell walls of several types of eukaryotes, including crustaceans, insects, mollusks, and some algal species. Fungi are heterotrophs, meaning they acquire their food by absorbing dissolved molecules, typically by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. They do not photosynthesize.
Chitin is present in several types of animals, and fungi share several characteristics with insects and arthropods. Fungi did not evolve to utilize cellulose because they are not related to plants. Chitin was available to fungi, and organisms evolve by relying on pre-existing traits, mutations, and the acquisition of genetic materials from other organisms.
The presence of chitin in fungal cell walls has several advantages. Chitin and chitosan, which is a derivative of chitin, have applications in various fields, including biomedicine, the food industry, and agriculture, due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, strong antibacterial effect, and non-toxicity.
Fungi are distinct from plants in other ways as well. For example, their cells usually have half of a full set of DNA, whereas in plants and animals, each cell has a full set, and only eggs and sperm have half sets.
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Mushrooms produce spores, not seeds
Mushrooms are the part of the fungus that sticks out of the ground. They are spore-bearing and fleshy, and their gills produce microscopic spores. These spores are not seeds, although they are often likened to them. The spores are released from the gills and travel through the air or water to spread the fungus. They are much smaller than seeds and are usually dispersed as a fine dust or powder. In fact, it takes around 25,000 spores to cover a pinhead.
Mushroom spores are single-celled reproductive structures, and they only contain half the genetic material required to create a new fungus. Therefore, two spores must meet and fuse to create a new mushroom-producing fungus. In contrast, plant seeds contain all the genetic material needed to grow a new plant.
The spores are dispersed to reach new food sources. They can remain dormant until the environmental conditions are suitable for germination. When spores land in a moist place, they germinate and grow a network of fine threads of hyphae. These threads then release chemicals that dissolve the food, and the nutrients are absorbed by the growing fungus.
The colour of the spore print, or spore pattern, is useful for classifying and identifying mushrooms. The spores of most mushrooms are white, but they can also be brown, black, purple-brown, pink, yellow, or creamy.
Although mushrooms were once classified as plants, they are now known to be part of the Eumycota (true fungi or Eumycetes) kingdom, which is separate from plants (Plantae). Fungi have very different cellular structures to plants, and they do not photosynthesize like plants do. Instead, they acquire their food by absorbing dissolved molecules, secreting digestive enzymes into their environment.
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Frequently asked questions
No, a mushroom is not a plant. Mushrooms are a part of the fungi kingdom.
Mushrooms do not have chlorophyll and are unable to produce their own food. They acquire nutrients by digesting other organisms.
Mushrooms are fungi and are more closely related to animals than plants. They are heterotrophs and acquire nutrients by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment.
Mushrooms, moulds, yeasts, and blue cheese are all examples of fungi.
Mushrooms were historically classified as plants due to similarities in lifestyle and morphology. They often grow in the soil and can resemble plants such as mosses.
