Agriraghv

Introduction to Fungi The  fungi  (singular,  fungus ) include several thousand species of eukaryotic, spore bearing organisms that obtain simple organic compounds by absorption. The organisms have no chlorophyll and reproduce by both sexual and asexual means. The fungi are usually filamentous, and their cell walls have  chitin.  The study of fungi is called  mycology , and fungal diseases are called  mycoses.  Two major groups of organisms make up the fungi. The filamentous fungi are called molds, while the unicellular fungi are called yeasts. The fungi are classified in the kingdom Fungi in the Whittaker five-kingdom system of classification. Agriraghv KEY CONCEPTS 1. Kingdom Fungi (the true fungi) is a monophyletic group of eukaryotic heterotrophs that reproduce with spores and have chitinous cell walls. The most familiar fungi are kitchen molds and mushrooms. The kingdom may include 1.5 million species, of which about 80,0...