 Fungi (pronounced FUN-jai,
the last syllable rhyming with "eye"; singular "fungus") are not
considered to be plants. They are their own thing, as are plants, animals, one-celled
organisms, and the kingdom consisting of bacteria and blue-green algae. Therefore, when
you see mushrooms such as the folks at the right (even if they're not smiling), you are
seeing something that is much more strange and exotic than a "mere" weed, tree,
or bush. One difference between fungi and most plants noticed by backyard naturalists is that fungi don't photosynthesize -- they don't contain green chlorophyll so they don't use sunlight to produce carbohydrate, their food, by combining carbon dioxide with water. Fungi take their nourishment from three main sources:
All fungi do not have the "mushroom shape" like those at the top of this page. Mushrooms are merely the reproductive structures of one particular kind of fungus, and there are many, many "kinds" of fungus. One of the great joys of studying fungi is discovering the enormous variety in the ways fungi look and behave. In fact, the fungus world is so large and diverse that we need to approach it systematically. Therefore, let's begin by recognizing that the Kingdom of the Fungi can be divided into several groups, mostly based on features that most backyard naturalists without fancy microscopes and slide-preparation facilities can't confirm. Here are those five groups, and to learn more about them, just click on the links:
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