fungi
A fungus is any
member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms
such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more
familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, fungi,
which is separate from plants, animals, protists, and bacteria. One major
difference is that fungal cells have cell walls that contain chitin, unlike the
cell walls of plants and some protists, which contain cellulose, and unlike the
cell walls of bacteria. These and other differences show that the fungi form a
single group of related organisms, named the Eumycota (true fungi
or Eumycetes), that share a common ancestor (is a monophyletic group).
This fungal group is distinct from the structurally similar myxomycetes (slime
molds) and oomycetes (water molds). The discipline of biology devoted to the
study of fungi is known as mycology. Mycology has often been regarded as a branch of botany,
even though it is a separate kingdom in biological taxonomy. Genetic studies
have shown that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants.