Fungus

A eukaryotic organism that absorbs nutrients from its surroundings. Fungi include yeasts, molds, and mushrooms and form a distinct kingdom of life.

Hypha: A branching filament that forms the main growing structure of many fungi. Hyphae extend through food or soil, absorbing nutrients across their surfaces.
Eukaryote: An organism whose cells contain a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. Fungi are eukaryotes, sharing this basic cellular organization with plants and animals.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae: A yeast species used in baking, brewing, and biological research. Its fermentation makes carbon dioxide for bread and ethanol for alcoholic drinks.
Decomposer: An organism that breaks down dead matter and returns nutrients to ecosystems. Fungi are among the principal decomposers of wood, leaf litter, and other organic material.
Mycelium: A network of fungal hyphae growing through a substrate or soil. This network is the feeding and growth body behind many visible mushrooms.
Fungal cell wall: A structural layer outside a fungal cell membrane, composed mainly of chitin and other polysaccharides. Its composition helps distinguish fungal cells from plant and bacterial cells.
Penicillin: A group of antibiotics first derived from the mold Penicillium. Fungal compounds launched a major class of medicines against bacterial infections.
Lichen: A stable association between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, usually an alga or cyanobacterium. Lichens reveal how fungi can build lasting partnerships with organisms that make sugars.
Chitin: A tough structural polysaccharide found in fungal cell walls and arthropod exoskeletons. Fungal cell walls use chitin for strength, unlike plant cell walls made chiefly of cellulose.
Yeast: A single-celled fungus that commonly reproduces by budding or cell division. Yeasts show that fungi need not grow as filaments or mushrooms.

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