Question

What are fungi?

Answer 1

Solution

Fungi:

Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that include microorganisms such as yeasts, moulds and mushrooms. These organisms are classified under kingdom fungi.The organisms found in Kingdom fungi contain a cell wall and are omnipresent. They are classified as heterotrophs among the living organisms

• They are eukaryotic organisms.
• These organisms are heterotrophic.
• Fungi's cell walls are made up of chitin and carbohydrates.
• They thrive in warm, humid environments.
• Except for the yeast, all fungi are filamentous (unicellular).
• Fungi include mushrooms, yeasts, moulds, etc.

Structure of Fungi

The structure of fungi can be explained in the following points:

1. Almost all the fungi have a filamentous structure, except the yeast cells.
2. They can be either single-celled or multicellular organisms.
3. Fungi consist of long thread-like structures known as hyphae. These hyphae together form a mesh-like structure called mycelium.
4. Fungi possess a cell wall which is made up of chitin and polysaccharides.
5. The cell wall comprises a protoplast, which is differentiated into other cell parts such as cell membrane, cytoplasm, cell organelles and nuclei.
6. The nucleus is dense, clear, with chromatin threads. The nucleus is surrounded by a nuclear membrane.

Uses

Yeast is used to making beer and bread. Penicillium is a source of the antibiotic penicillin.

Related questions

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• Is yeast a fungus?