Sarah Brown
Mushrooms are often associated with plants, but they are not plants themselves. They are fungi, a kingdom of their own, with unique characteristics that differentiate them from plants and animals. The classification of organisms is essential as it provides a broad understanding of their nature and relationships with other organisms. While mushrooms may resemble plants, they lack chlorophyll and have distinct methods of reproduction and respiration, setting them apart from the plant kingdom.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Respiration | Fungi respire by taking in O2 and expelling carbon, unlike plants that take in carbon and expel O2 |
| Reproduction | Fungi reproduce using spores, an asexual form of reproduction, unlike plants that reproduce using seeds |
| Taxonomy | Fungi are more closely related to animals than plants |
| Cellular components | Fungi are distinguished by membrane-bound organelles and the composition of the cell membrane |
| Evolutionary history | Fungi and plants diverged from their common ancestors around half a billion years ago |
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What You'll Learn
- Mushrooms are fungi, which is a separate kingdom from plants
- Fungi reproduce using spores, which are not the same as plant seeds
- Fungi and plants have different respiratory processes
- Fungi are more closely related to animals than plants
- Fungi are not plants, but they have a long history of being grouped together
Mushrooms are fungi, which is a separate kingdom from plants
While fungi have historically been grouped with plants, they are, in fact, more closely related to animals. This is because fungi, like animals, need oxygen to thrive and expel carbon. In contrast, plants take in carbon and release oxygen. Fungi also lack chlorophyll, which plants use to obtain energy from light during photosynthesis. Instead, fungi must absorb nutrients from other materials.
The distinct characteristics of fungi are reflected in their unique evolutionary history. Fungi, plants, and animals all have separate common ancestors, with no shared ancestry within the last half a billion years or so. This lack of shared lineage is a fundamental criterion for classifying organisms into different kingdoms.
The misclassification of fungi as plants in the past has had an impact on how we understand and interact with these organisms today. For example, the pairing of fungi with plants in botanical gardens and herbariums has contributed to a bias in scientific research and funding. However, with advancements in molecular and computational approaches, we now have a better understanding of the evolutionary histories and relationships between different organisms, confirming that mushrooms, as fungi, are indeed distinct from plants.
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Fungi reproduce using spores, which are not the same as plant seeds
Fungi, including mushrooms, reproduce using spores, which are fundamentally different from plant seeds. Fungi reproduce both sexually and asexually, and spores are produced in both cases. Asexual spores are produced by one parent only (through mitosis) and are genetically identical to that parent. Sexual reproduction in fungi involves the fusion of two nuclei, brought together when two sex cells (gametes) unite. Fungi reproduce asexually through fragmentation, budding, or producing spores. Fragments of hyphae can grow new colonies, and buds can develop on the surface of yeast cells or hypha, with the nucleus of the parent cell dividing and each nucleus migrating into the bud or remaining in the parent cell.
Spores are released from the parent organism by floating on the wind or hitching a ride on an animal. Fungi possess specialized mechanical and physiological mechanisms for spore ejection, such as forcible discharge or attracting insects with colour and odour for spore dispersal. The spores are smaller and lighter than plant seeds, and they contain almost no food reserve, making them less subject to animal predation.
While plants take in carbon and expel oxygen, fungi, like animals, respire by taking in oxygen and expelling carbon. Fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. Fungi have historically been grouped with plants, and this misclassification has impacted how we understand and engage with them today. However, molecular evidence demonstrates that fungi are distinct and more closely related to animals.
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Fungi and plants have different respiratory processes
Fungi, including mushrooms, are distinct from plants in many ways, including their respiratory processes. Fungi have historically been grouped with plants, but they are more closely related to animals. Fungi and plants have fundamentally different respiratory processes, as they require different inputs and produce different outputs.
Plants take in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen, whereas fungi, like animals, require oxygen to thrive and expel carbon dioxide. Fungi also differ from plants in that they reproduce through spores, which are not the same as plant seeds. Spores are asexual reproductive units that are small and light enough to travel on gentle air currents.
The respiratory processes of fungi and plants also differ in their specific metabolic pathways. For instance, during anaerobic respiration, plants typically produce ethanol and carbon dioxide through the process of alcoholic fermentation. In contrast, the final product of anaerobic respiration in fungi is lactic acid.
Anaerobic respiration is a type of cellular respiration that does not require oxygen. It is important for both plants and fungi as it allows them to produce energy and survive in low-oxygen environments. However, it produces less energy than aerobic respiration, which occurs in the presence of oxygen.
Fungi primarily utilise branched respiratory chains, which consist of alternative NADH dehydrogenases. These enable the oxidation of matrix NADH or the direct use of cytoplasmic NADH. Some fungi also contain an alternative oxidase that likely accepts electrons directly from ubiquinol.
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Fungi are more closely related to animals than plants
Fungi, including mushrooms, are more closely related to animals than they are to plants. This is a relatively new discovery, as for much of scientific history, fungi were classified as plants. The French entomologist René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur described fungi pathogenic to insects as a plant root. The Mycological Society of America was also established while fungi were still considered plants.
However, the best available molecular evidence demonstrates that fungi are more closely related to animals. Fungi lack chloroplasts, a unifying feature of plants. Fungi also reproduce using spores, which are not exactly like the seeds of plants. These spores are asexual and are so small and light that they travel on gentle air currents. 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.
Fungi also respire like animals, needing oxygen to thrive while expelling carbon—the opposite of plants. The last common ancestor of plants, fungi, and animals was earlier than the last common ancestor of fungi and animals. This means that fungi and animals are equally related to plants.
Fungi are profoundly different from plants and animals, and grouping them with either would be a mistake. They have their own kingdom, and their unique characteristics demand continued taxonomic attention.
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Fungi are not plants, but they have a long history of being grouped together
Fungi, including mushrooms, are not plants, but they have historically been grouped together. This is partly because mushrooms and plants share some similarities. For example, both plants and mushrooms have roots, although the roots of mushrooms are called mycelium, which form a network of filaments infusing a patch of soil or wood.
However, fungi and plants also have significant differences. Fungi reproduce using spores, which are not exactly like the seeds of plants. Spores are an asexual form of reproduction, and they are so small and light that they can travel on gentle air currents. Fungi also respire like humans, needing oxygen to thrive while expelling carbon dioxide—unlike plants, which take in carbon and expel oxygen.
Fungi have their own kingdom, separate from plants and animals, because they have no common ancestor within the last half a billion years or so. Fungi are, in fact, more closely related to animals than plants. This has been demonstrated by molecular evidence, which provides robust evolutionary histories that indicate organismal relationships and estimate when they diverged from common ancestors.
Despite this, fungi have historically been classified as plants, with one source citing an axiom attributed to Carl Linnaeus: "Plants grow and live; Animals grow, live and feel." The Mycological Society of America was established while fungi were still considered plants, and the New York Botanical Garden still maintains one of the world's largest collections of fungi. This misclassification has had an impact that is still felt today, influencing how we understand, support, and engage with fungi.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushrooms are not plants because they lack chlorophyll and have to take nutrients from other materials. Fungi, the kingdom to which mushrooms belong, are profoundly different from the Flora Kingdom (plants).
Plants take in carbon and expel O2, which is what humans need to survive. Fungi, on the other hand, need O2 to thrive and expel carbon.
Mushrooms are similar to plants in appearance and were historically grouped with plants. However, they are distinct in terms of their biological functions and evolutionary history.
Yes, molecular evidence demonstrates that fungi (including mushrooms) are more closely related to animals than plants. This is based on computational and molecular approaches that provide robust evolutionary histories and estimates of divergence from common ancestors.
