https://emsenn.net/tags/fungal-biology/ Recent content in Fungal-Biology on emsenn.net Hugo en Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://emsenn.net/library/domains/science/domains/biology/domains/mycology/terms/fungal-biology-fundamentals/ Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://emsenn.net/library/domains/science/domains/biology/domains/mycology/terms/fungal-biology-fundamentals/ <h2 id="assumed-audience"><a href="#assumed-audience" class="heading-anchor" aria-label="Link to this section">¶</a>Assumed audience </h2> <p>General adult with no formal biology background. The goal is to understand what fungi are and how they work.</p> <h2 id="what-fungi-are"><a href="#what-fungi-are" class="heading-anchor" aria-label="Link to this section">¶</a>What fungi are </h2> <p>Fungi are their own kingdom — not plants, not animals. They are <a href="../terms/heterotroph.md" class="link-internal">heterotrophs</a>, meaning they cannot photosynthesize. Instead, fungi obtain nutrition by <a href="../terms/extracellular-digestion.md" class="link-internal">extracellular digestion</a> — secreting <a href="../../terms/enzyme.md" class="link-internal">enzymes</a> that digest organic matter externally, then absorbing the released nutrients. Their cell walls are made of <a href="../terms/chitin.md" class="link-internal">chitin</a>, not <a href="../terms/cellulose.md" class="link-internal">cellulose</a> like plants. Genetically, fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants (see <a href="../concepts/fungal-cell-biology.md" class="link-internal">fungal cell biology</a> for more on what makes a fungal cell distinctive).</p>