Question

Fungi share all of the characteristics listed below with plants except

• A. Heterotrophy
• B. Sexual reproduction
• C. Composed of eukaryotic cells
• D. Engage in mutualistic relationships with other organisms
• E. Multicellularity

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

Heterotrophy

A. Heterotrophy is the dependence of an organism on other organism for its food. Fungi show heterotrophy as they can't prepare their own food but plants are autotrophs which prepare their own food by the process of photosynthesis.

B. Both fungi and plants show sexual reproduction. Plants reproduce sexually through pollination whereas fungi reproduce sexually by the fusion of two cells of opposite strains.

C. Both fungi and plants are composed of eukaryotic cells as they contain well defined nucleus and membrane bound cell organelles.

D. Both fungi and plants form mutualistic associations with other organisms such as fungi form mycorrhizal association with the roots of higher plants and plants form root nodules in association with nitrogen fixing bacteria such as Rhizobium.

E. Both fungi and plants are multicellular organisms as they have complex body structure.

Hence, it's heterotrophy which is not common in fungi and plants and present only in fungi.

So, the correct answer is 'Heterotrophy'.