It is known that for a long time, scientists have attributed fungi to plants.However, attempts to separate them from the lower species of flora have been made since Carl Linnaeus, who expressed doubts about this classification in his book "System of Nature", paying attention to the signs, bringing together the mushrooms from the animals.But only in the 70-80s of the last century, this division finally happened.These creations of nature due to its structure and characteristics are signs of bringing together the mushrooms from the animals and plants at the same time (roughly speaking, they are both).Consider some of them.
similarity with plants
Why are scientists so long to treat these organisms to plants, because there are clear signs of bringing together the mushrooms from the animals?And it happens because they have specific properties that allow them to carry the plant kingdom:
- They are, for example, can not move on their own, almost all representatives of the animal world.Although it is not entirely true (underground mycelium spreading, conquering new areas of the substrate, but this movement can be attributed to the constant growth).
- way, mushrooms, as well as plants, growing up my whole life.In contrast to animals that grow to a certain size and stop growing.So that in this similarity of fungi and animals available.
- Many fungi reproduce by spores.Pileate, for example, are able to produce up to several tens of billions of spores in his life.However, these arguments are mostly die.But if you get in a favorable environment, the reproduction is carried out.Also, come and spore plants.And the mushrooms are able to reproduce by dividing the mycelium, sometimes even several of its cells.This is enough to start developing a new mycelium capable of giving life to new fruit bodies, disputes and hence offspring.
- feed on mushrooms mainly by suction.And it also brings them closer to the plants.
differences in the origin of fungi and plants
But scientists have meanwhile identified and that the fungi and plants originate from different evolutionary branches - the oldest group of microscopic organisms that lived once in the oceans.Therefore, they are still different and evolutionarily and genetically.
At the cellular level
The cells of plants, animals and fungi are different in structure.In fungi is incapable of photosynthesis, they do not have chlorophyll in cells, in plants.But as part of their cells present chitin, characteristic of members of certain animals (eg arthropods, which he - an important element for creating a shell or external skeleton).This, of course, brings the mushrooms with animals.
Metabolism
Mushrooms are capable, like animals, to store glycogen (carbohydrates).They can also print their end products of metabolism of the organism.It also makes them similar to the fauna.
way power
Mushrooms do not synthesize organic matter.They are heterotrophic, ie, consume them in the form of already prepared, on the contrary, to disposing of inorganic compounds using the enzymes that they may produce (mushrooms saprophytes).This is also showing signs of bringing together the mushrooms from the animals that consume organic food.Mushrooms-symbionts live at the expense of close cooperation with Derevyeva (sometimes difficult to figure out who is who in the maze of the mycelium and fine hair roots).
There are mushrooms, parasites on other organisms - plants and animals that feed at their expense, and sometimes even killing its host.This fungus (for example, tinder) can live a long time on a dead tree, expanding its organic tissues and using them for food.There are even mushrooms predators.They feed the animals: amoebas and nematodes, capturing them using an adhesive surface on its hyphae.Typically for fungi and that during the metabolism of urea are produced as many animals.
Results
Summing up, we can say that the fungi - particularly in the realm of nature, consisting of countless types, ranging from huge pileate mushrooms to the smallest molds and yeasts, are not always visible not armed microscope view.All of them - the descendants of ancient eukaryotic microorganisms living sometime in aquatic environments billions of years ago.
Some properties have in common fungi to plants (in fact, and many scientists prefer to think until the end of the twentieth century).This inability of independent travel, and growth throughout life and suction power.And wildlife brings them together heterotrophic nutrition, and the presence of chitin in their cell membranes, the ability to accumulate carbohydrates, urea formation and its excretion in the process of metabolism.All this makes both fungi and similar plants, and animals.
