Fungi are part of the great family that is comprised of microorganisms such as mushrooms, mold, and yeast. For some of you that think that Fungi are plants, they are not. They are not animals, either. But they are closer to animals rather than to plants. Their morphology is quite complicated, actually. Their structure is composed of a network of fine strands which spread out through the ground, fallen stumps of trees or anything that have nutrients and the fungi can feed on.

Fungal reproduction is intricate because of the diversity of the family. Primarily, fungi reproduce by scattering spores. Many of you might have seen mushrooms and think that it is just a simple organism, but, in reality, the mushrooms are the components of fungi that help them scatter the spores.

To survive, fungi need food. Nitrogen is one of the elements that help sustain life; therefore, the fungus needs it to thrive. There is one downside to this: nitrogen is scarce. Thus, fungi make use of some organisms that resemble worms and which are no bigger than one millimeter.

Fungi Are One Of The Most Bizarre Hunters In The Forests

After the fungi ensnare one organism, they start eating the nematode – the worm-like organism. Biologist Paul Keddy says about the nematodes that they “are actually one of the most abundant groups of invertebrates in the biosphere, and are present in a wide array of natural habitats, particularly soil, where they live in thin water films and feed mainly on fungi and bacteria.”

The fungus has an essential part of keeping the community of nematodes under control. They are also indispensable to the well being of trees, as they cannot develop right without them. The microorganisms aid trees to take in minerals and water and also protect them against pests. Trees also help fungi with energy.

Between the two is a special relationship; neither of them can thrive without the other. As a result, a forest is no longer comprised of individual organisms, as it was previously believed, but as a single organism that stretches on broad areas with the help of fungi.

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