Fungi
- Main features of fungi:
- They are usually multicellular but some are single-celled (e.g. yeast)
- Multicellular fungi are mainly made up of thread-like structures known as hyphae that contain many nuclei and are organised into a network known as a mycelium
- Their cells contain a nucleus with a distinct membrane
- Their cells have cell walls made of chitin (chitinous cell walls)
- Their cells do not contain chloroplasts (so they cannot carry out photosynthesis)
- They feed by secreting extracellular digestive enzymes (outside the mycelium) onto the food (usually decaying organic matter) and then absorbing the digested molecules. This method of feeding is known as saprotrophic nutrition
- Some fungi are parasitic and feed on living material
- Some fungi store carbohydrates as glycogen
- They do not have nervous coordination
- Examples of fungi include: moulds, mushrooms, yeasts
A typical fungal cell
The typical structure of a multicellular fungus e.g. Mucor (bread mould)