Final answer:
Fungi have a heterotrophic mode of nutrition, absorbing nutrients from their environment through saprophytic, parasitic, or mutualistic means. They secrete exoenzymes for external digestion before nutrient absorption via the mycelium. Fungi reproduce both sexually and asexually.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nutritional mode of fungi is heterotrophic. Fungi absorb organic compounds from the environment, which differentiates them from autotrophic organisms that synthesize their own food. Fungi exhibit several strategies for obtaining nutrients:
- Saprobes or saprophytic fungi decompose dead organic matter by secreting enzymes and absorbing the resulting simple molecules.
- Parasitic fungi derive nutrients from living hosts, often causing diseases.
- Some fungi form mutualistic relationships, such as mycorrhizae, where they assist plant roots in absorbing nutrients from the soil in exchange for carbohydrates.
The mycelium, an extensive network of hyphae, is the main structure through which fungi absorb nutrients. Mycelium provides a large surface area for the secretion of exoenzymes that digest complex molecules in the surroundings, allowing fungi to then take in these simpler molecules. The digestive processes of fungi are crucial to ecosystem nutrient cycles by recycling organic materials and breaking down pollutants. Fungi reproduce sexually and asexually. During sexual reproduction, hyphae from two different fungi fuse together, leading to genetic recombination and the formation of spores. Asexual reproduction involves the production of spores by a single organism, which can then disperse and grow into new mycelium.