Based of Carl Woese extant taxa from rRNA gene there are three domains of life pictured above. Fungi are their own Kingdom. We as humans are part of Animalia, then plants are Plantae, and Fungi are part of the domain Fungi. They are not plants, or animals but their own unique and ubiquitous creatures.

What are Fungi?

They are eukaryotic cells that include yeast, molds, and mushrooms. Fungi are their own domain because unlike plants they do not use light to create energy instead they digest organic matter by secreting enzymes that break it down and utilize that for energy. Fungi also have chitin in their cell wall which give them an extra layer of protection where as plants have cellulose.

The parts of a mushroom are listed above and though this is a generic drawing not all mushroom fruit bodies follow this diagram this diagram is mainly only true in Basidiomycota.

Fungi are classified into different phyla based on their morphological and genetic characteristics. Here are some examples of different phyla of fungi:

1. Ascomycota: This is one of the largest phyla of fungi and includes a wide range of species, such as yeasts, molds, and truffles. Ascomycota are characterized by the production of sexual spores in sac-like structures called asci. Some well-known examples of Ascomycota include the baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and the morel mushroom (Morchella spp.).

2. Basidiomycota: This phylum includes many familiar fungi, such as mushrooms, toadstools, and puffballs. Basidiomycota are characterized by the production of sexual spores on club-shaped structures called basidia. Some well-known examples of Basidiomycota include the button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) and the fly agaric (Amanita muscaria).

3. Zygomycota: This phylum includes fungi that reproduce sexually by the formation of zygospores, which are thick-walled structures that result from the fusion of specialized hyphae. Examples of Zygomycota include bread mold (Rhizopus stolonifer) and the black bread mold (Mucor spp.).

4. Glomeromycota: This phylum includes fungi that form mutualistic relationships with plant roots, known as arbuscular mycorrhizae. These fungi help plants absorb nutrients from the soil in exchange for sugars produced by the plants. Glomeromycota are important for the health and growth of many plant species.

5. Chytridiomycota: This phylum includes fungi with flagellated spores called zoospores, which allow them to move through water. Chytridiomycota include both aquatic and terrestrial species, some of which are known to parasitize plants, animals, and other fungi.

These are just a few examples of the diverse phyla of fungi that exist in the fungal kingdom. Each phylum has its own unique characteristics, life cycles, and ecological roles in various ecosystems

Fungi are made up of:

The Hypha (pl. hyphae):

A long, branching filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium

• Main mode of vegetative growth

• Collectively called a mycelium

• Growth occurs at the tips

• Septate or nonseptate

The Mycelium:

• Vegetative part of a fungus

• Consists of a mass of branching, thread like hyphae

• Nutrients are absorbed from the environment through mycelium

• Contribute to organic fraction to soil and releases CO2 back into soil

Mushrooms:

• Large fruiting bodies

• Masses of hyphae

Spores:

• Sexual or asexual reproduction

• Can adapt for dispersal for survival

• Usually haploid and unicellular and produced via meiosis in the sporangium

• Resting stage

• Can be resistant to environmental stress

• Can spread via wind, air, soil, and animals

  Many forms of spores:

1. Conidia: asexual reproduction

2. Arthrospores: spore-like cell of ascomycetous fungi and some algae produced by a breaking of the hypha

3. Sporangiospore: sac of spores

Fungi Can Decompose:

• Saprophytes/Saprobes/Rotters

1. Fungi that lives/feeds on dead organic matter

• Consume Dead Organic material

• Extracellular digestion

Basidiomycota (club fungi):

• Decomposers, pathogens (smuts/rusts), ectomycorrhizae

• Mostly filamentous, a few yeasts, many mushrooms

• Septate hyphae

• Binucleate dikaryon stage dominates life cycle

• Mostly sexual reproduction- basidia

• Asexual reproduction by fragmentation not spores

• Sexual reproduction from spore

• See image below