Video Transcript
Which of the following best
describes members of kingdom Fungi? (A) They are heterotrophic
organisms which are only parasitic and have no cell walls. (B) They are free-living
heterotrophic organisms which have no cell walls and reproduce by binary
fission. (C) They are mobile
heterotrophic organisms which may be parasitic or saprophytic and have cell
walls. Or (D) they are heterotrophic
organisms which may be parasitic or saprophytic and have cell walls.
This question is asking us to
recall what we know about the members of the Fungus kingdom and then to choose
the answer that best describes their characteristics. So we’ll start with what we
already know about fungi. Often when we picture members
of the Fungus kingdom, we might imagine mushrooms sprouting from a dead fallen
tree. By thinking of mushrooms as an
example of a member of the Fungus kingdom, we’re able to recall some key
characteristics. This mushroom is
multicellular. It reproduces by making
spores. It gets its nutrition from dead
or decaying material by decomposing it. And it doesn’t move around on
its own, so it can be described as immobile.
Now, we can add to this
information with some other things that we know about fungi. We know that some fungi are
unicellular, as we know that yeast are also a member of the Fungus kingdom. We also know that fungi can
reproduce sexually or asexually, since spores can either develop into a new
organism on their own or be used in sexual reproduction with a spore from
another fungus. We know that fungi are
heterotrophic organisms because they absorb their nutrients from living or
once-living organisms in their surroundings. And we know that, like immobile
plants, fungal cells are surrounded and supported by a cell wall, even though
the cell wall of fungi is different from the cell wall of plants.
So now we’re ready to choose
the best answer. Two of our answer choices state
that the members of kingdom Fungi have no cell walls, so we know that these two
options are incorrect. Another answer choice states
that fungi are mobile, which we know is also incorrect. Fungi are immobile, which means
they cannot move around on their own. So we’ve been able to eliminate
three of the four options. But let’s check the fourth one
to make sure that it’s correct.
The remaining answer choice
states that fungi are heterotrophic organisms, which we’ve already stated is
true. It goes on to state that fungi
maybe parasitic or saprophytic. A parasite is an organism that
lives in or on a host and causes that host harm. And a saprophytic organism is
one that breaks down decaying matter and absorbs nutrients from it. Well, we know that fungi are
heterotrophic decomposers. And the fact they may be
parasites is not surprising. Finally, this answer choice
states that fungi have cell walls, which is a fact that we’ve already
confirmed.
So, the answer choice that best
describes the members of kingdom Fungi is that they are heterotrophic organisms
which may be parasitic or saprophytic and have cell walls.
