Fungus

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/fungus

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Kingdom Fungi
2. What is the diet?Absorptive heterotrophs; secrete extracellular enzymes to digest organic matter before absorption
3. What are fungi and how are they different from plants and animals?Fungi are a separate kingdom of living things that are not plants or animals. They get food by absorbing nutrients from outside, not by eating. Their cell walls are made of chitin, the same material found in insect shells.
4. How do fungi help clean up dead plants and animals?Fungi break down tough materials like lignin and cellulose in dead matter. This releases nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus back into the soil so plants can use them.

Eukaryotic Kingdom: A distinct group of organisms whose cells contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.
Chitin: A structural polysaccharide forming the cell walls of fungi and the exoskeletons of arthropods.
Mycorrhizae: Symbiotic associations between fungi and plant roots, enhancing nutrient and water absorption.
Radiotropism: The ability of certain fungi to grow towards and utilize ionizing radiation as an energy source.