Many of us underappreciate the importance of Fungi, both ecologically and economically.

Fungi break down dead organic material and maintain the food chain. Most land plants could not grow without the symbiotic fungi in their roots providing essential nutrients. Other Fungi serve as food (mushrooms, truffles and morels) and drugs (penicillin and other antibiotics). They make bread rise and beverages ferment. But Fungi also cause many diseases in plant, animals and ourselves.

Most fungi secrete enzymes that digest food outside themselves, then absorb the nutrients through their cell walls. Most have thread-like multinucleate hyphae. The cell walls, when present, are usually made of chitin, at least in spore walls.

AAA lysine biosynthesis pathway; mitochondria and peroxisomes present, except in Microsporidia; flattened cristae; plastids and tubular mastigonemes absent.

Fungi are closely related to Animals.