Fungal kingdom

Characteristics of fungi:

Composed of threads called hyphae
Have no chlorophyll and cannot make their own food
Require a moist environment and suitable temperatures to grow
Feed by breaking down (digesting) other organisms, mostly plant matter (dead or living), and absorbing some of the digestion products
Reproduce by spores or by division of cells
Are important to the living world as decomposers — they release the materials of which living things are made so that they can be recycled.

Some common fungi:

Moulds — Composed of a mass of hyphae that penetrate the food and cause it to decompose. Some hyphae grow vertically, producing spore cases. These spore cases may make the mould appear grey. Touching the mould can cause these spore cases to burst, producing a visible cloud of spores. These fungi are very common and will attack a wide range of foodstuffs. The first widely used antibiotic, penicillin, comes from a blue mould Penicillium.
Mushrooms (and toadstools) — Fungi that grow through the soil or leaf litter and produce a large fruiting body with a generally characteristic shape. Many are edible, but a few are highly toxic and, as a result, caution should be exercised before eating any fungus. A number of species are cultivated commercially.
Bracket fungi — The hyphae of these fungi grow through the wood of dead trees, causing them to rot away. The hyphae form a fruiting body on the surface of the log and release their spores into the air.
Yeasts — Single celled fungi that reproduce by dividing into two. Many feed on sugars, breaking them down into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Used in baking and bread making, and in the production of alcoholic beverages. Some yeast-like fungi can cause disease, such as thrush.
Pathogenic fungi — Many fungi cause diseases by attacking living plants. These diseases include rusts, blights and mildews. A few fungi attack animals causing disease. Tinea, or 'athlete's foot', is caused by a fungus, which grows under the skin between the toes – where it's always warm and moist.

Lichens consist of a fungus and an alga growing together in a close and mutually helpful association. The alga synthesise nutrients for both, while the fungus gathers water. Lichens can be used as biological indicators of air pollution.

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