Final answer:
Fungi do not have active locomotion; they move by cell growth and extension. Some protists exhibit motility through structures like cilia, flagella, and pseudopodia. Fungal spores are dispersed by environmental forces and by animals.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fungi and Locomotion
Fungi are a group of eukaryotic organisms that include microorganisms such as yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Traditionally, fungi were classified as plant-like organisms due to their seemingly rooted structures and sessile nature. However, they are now understood to be closer to animals than plants in the evolutionary tree.
Fungi do not demonstrate active locomotion like animals or certain protists; they move by growing, a process which requires the extension of their cells into new territory. Cell expansion is driven by internal pressure exceeding both the tensile strength of the cell wall and the resistance presented by the surrounding environment.
Unlike fungi, some protist species exhibit motility. For instance, slime molds, which are fungus-like protists, use a more active form of locomotion through their blob-like structures. They glide along by secreting a substrate that assists in their movement. Similarly, other protists move around by utilizing cilia, flagella, or pseudopodia. For example, a paramecium uses cilia, an amoeba extends pseudopodia, and a euglena propels itself with a flagellum.
Although locomotion is not a trait observed in fungi, their spores can be dispersed over long distances through external forces such as wind, water or through animal dispersal, as some animals carry fungal spores externally or internally after consumption. This dispersal is vital for reproduction and colonization of new environments by fungi.