1. What characteristics made early naturalists group fungi together with the pla
ID: 77823 • Letter: 1
Question
1. What characteristics made early naturalists group fungi together with the plants? What level of biological organization does this perspective emphasize?
2. What features suggest that fungi and animals are more closely related than fungi and plants? What level of organization is emphasized here?
3. Many cup fungi, like Peziza release their spores explosively. Many Basidiomycetes release their spores with a gentler mechanism. Why do you think cup fungi have such a forceful spre release? Why would it be unecessary for a Basidiomycete like Agaricus bisporus or Fomitopsis pinicola?
Explanation / Answer
1. Both fungi and plants have many similar characteristics which led earlier naturalists to group them together. Some of these characteristics include
1 They are eukaryotic which means that they have nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.
2 Both fungi and plants have cell walls.
3 Both are immobile.
4 They are multicellular.
This clearly shows that fungi and plants are similar in the molecular and cellular level. Their characteristics start to change at tissue level. Each level in the hierarchy represent an increase in complexity. Cells combine to form tissues. In plants unlike fungi, these tissues group together to form organs performing common functions.
2. Fungi and animals are more closely related than fungi and plants because
1 They are heterotrophic since they cannot produce their own food like plants. They need external food source for energy.
2 Both fungi and animals have chitin in their body (found in exoskeletons in animals and cell wall of fungi).
They are similar at molecular and cellular level. They are eukaryotes having nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. Moreover, fungi are genetically more closely related to animals than plants.
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