Characteristics of Fungi

• The non-motile cells belong to the kingdom Fungi.

• The cell walls of these non-motile cells are made of
chitin.
• Fungi are heterotrophic organisms. The only
difference between other heterotrophic animals and
fungi is that fungi digest and then ingest the food.
Fungi releases enzymes on the body of the other living
things and thrive on them.
• There is no embryonic stage for fungi. A fungus
develops from spores, and are both sexual and asexual.
• Though most of the fungi are single cellular, most of
the fungi species grow as multi-cellular filaments
called hyphae. The hyphae form a mycelium.
• An interesting characteristic of fungi is that like a
plant, fungi too have an alternation of generations.
• The cytoplasmic ultrastructure of fungi is similar to
plant cells. However, they differ significantly in their
structures and their organelles.
• The fungi store their food in the form of glycogen.
• The cell membrane of a fungus has a unique sterol and
ergosterol.
• Many of the fungi have a small nuclei with repetitive
DNA.
• Mitosis takes place without dissolution of the nuclear
envelop.