General Characters of Fungi

General Characters of Fungi

Fungi have following general characters:

1. There are about 100,000 known species of fungi.

2. Fungi include many different types of organism.

➤ Some fungi are pathogens like rust, smut of wheat and corn.

➤ Molds grow on important crops and foodstuff

➤ There are some delicious fungi like truffles and morels.

➤ There are commercial uses of some fungi like Pencillium. It is a source of antibiotics penicillin.Yeasts are used in bakeries and breweries.

3. Fungi are eukaryotes.

4. The body of fungi is composed of hyphae. The hyphae may be septate or non-septate. Only Yeast is without hyphae.

5. Fungi are absorptive heterotrophs. Fungi act as decomposer like bacteria. Some fungi are parasite and some are symbiotic.

6. The cell wall of fungi is composed of chitin. Chitin is resistant to decay.

7. Fungi lack centrioles.

8. They are non-motile.

9. Fungi store surplus food in the form of lipid droplets or glycogen. 

10. The cells of the fungi divide by nuclear mitosis. In nuclear mitosis, nuclear membrane does not disappear. 

11. All nuclei of fungi are haploid except diploid zygote. The zygote is formed during sexual reproduction.

12. Asexual reproduction in fungi takes place by spore formation, conidia formation, by budding or fragmentation.

13. Sexual reproduction takes place by the fusion of nuclei.

Taxonomic position of fungi

Fungi were placed earlier in the plant kingdom. Later, they were separated form the plant kingdom and were given the status of a separate kingdom Fungi.

1.  Relationships of fungi with plants

Resemblances with plants 

Fungi show following resemblances with the plants:

• Both have cell wall.

• Both lack centrioles.

• Both are non-motile.

Difference from plants

• Fungi are heterotrophic, where as plants are autotrophic.

• The cell wall of fungi is composed of chitin. On the other hand, the cell wall The of plants is composed of cellulose.

2.  Relationships of fungi with animals

Resemblances with animals

Fungi resemble more with the animals than the plants. They show following resemblances with the animals.

• Fungi are heterotrophs like animals. But plants are autotrophs.

• The cell wall of fungi is composed of chitin. Chitin is also present in the external skeleton of arthropods. While the cell wall of plants is composed of cellulose.

Due to these similarities, some mycologists (scientists who study fungi) think that fungi and animal have a common ancestor.

Differences from the Animals

Fungi have following differences from the animals:

• Fungi have cell wall but absent in animals.

• Fungi are absorptive heterotrophs. They absorb food. But animals ingest food.

• Fungi are non-motile.

3.  Some Special characters of fungi

Fungi show some special characters. So they are neither plants nor animals.

•  The DNA studies of fungi have confirmed that fungi are different form all other organisms.

• Fungi show characteristic type of mitosis, called 'nuclear mitosis'. In this case, nuclear envelop (nuclear membrane) does not break during mitosis. The mitotic spindle is formed within the nucleus. The nuclear membrane constricts between the two clusters of daughter chromosomes and divides the nucleus. In some fungi, nuclear envelope disappears late.

Conclusion

Above discussion shows that the fungi are distinct organism form the plants animals and protists. So the are given the status of a separate kingdom called kingdom "Fungi".