Characteristics of Fungi

Fungi were earlier classified as plants without chlorophyll and without differentiation of their body into root, stem and leaves. They are now included, in a separate Kingdom called Fungi.

Fungi are heterotrophic unicellular or multicellular eukaryotes. They exist as slender thread like filaments called hyphae. Hypha may be one celled or multicelled and has, one or more nuclei. Yeast, however, is single celled, and uninucleate.

Their cell walls are made of chitin. A hypha may be divided into cells by partitions called septa. Septa have pores through which cytoplasm streams freely.

A group of hyphae forming a network is called mycelium (mycetos means fungus. Mycelia spread out on the substrate, or on the ground and even extend up to several kilometers. 

They do not possess chlorophyll as their nutrition is by absorption or feeding on dead organic matter.

Aquatic fungi have flagellate gametes or flagellate spores. Higher fungi do not have flagellum at any stage of life cycle.

Reproduction in fungi is both asexual by means of flagellate or non-flagellate spores and sexual through conjugation.