Kingdom Fungi
- Examples: mushrooms, yeast, tinea (Athlete's Foot)
- All are eukaryotic.
- All are heterotrophic, and therefore many are decomposers.
- Some are unicellular, and some are multicellular.
- The cell walls are made of chitin and a cellulose-like chemical.
- Most are composed of threadlike hyphae that grow by elongation and branching. A mass of hyphae is called a mycelium such as in the "fruiting" structure of the mushroom.
- Most reproduce by spores.
Did You Know That...? Lichens are difficult for taxonomists to classify as they are not one organism but two. Lichens are formed by the "living together" or symbiosis of an alga and a fungus. The alga photosynthesises to produce sugars, and the fungus absorbs the sugar for its energy but also provides structure.