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Kingdom Fungi (Fungi Structure, habitat and Nutrition)

Nutrition and Ecology Like animals, fungi are heterotrophs: They cannot make their own food as plants and algae can. But unlike animals, fungi do not ingest (eat) their food. Instead, a fungus absorbs nutrients from the environment outside of its body. Many fungi do this by secreting hydrolytic enzymes into their surroundings. These enzymes break down complex molecules to smaller organic compounds that the fungi can absorb into their cells and use. Collectively, the different enzymes found in various fungal species can digest compounds from a wide range of sources, living or dead. This diversity of food sources corresponds to the varied roles of fungi in ecological communities: Different species live as decomposers, parasites, or mutualists. Fungi that are decomposers break down and absorb nutrients from nonliving organic material, such as fallen logs, animal corpses, and the wastes of organisms. Parasitic fungi absorb nutrients from the cells of living hosts. Some parasitic fungi are pathogenic, including many species that cause diseases in plants and others that cause diseases in animals. Mutualistic fungi also absorb nutrients from a host, but they reciprocate with actions that benefit the host. For example, mutualistic fungi that live within the digestive tracts of certain termite species use their enzymes to break down wood, as do mutualistic protists in other termites. Body Structure of Fungi Many fungal species can grow as both filaments and yeasts, but even more grow only as filaments; relatively few species grow only as single-celled yeasts. The morphology of multicellular fungi enhances their ability to grow into and absorb nutrients from their surroundings. The bodies of these fungi typically form a network of tiny filaments called hyphae. Fungal hyphae form an interwoven mass called a mycelium. #fungiCharacteristics #WhatIsFungi