Fungi

The mushroom wanted to play with the moss, but the moss was not sure if that was a good idea. The mushroom protested, "But why not? I'm a pretty fun guy [fungi]."

The Fungi kingdom is diverse, although common knowledge of fungi is usually limited to mosses and mushrooms. However, there are many other kinds of fungi; some are molds, sac fungi, club fungi, gill fungi, pore fungi, yeasts, and puffballs.

Q: Why are fungi not classified as plants?
A: One reason is that the cell walls of fungi are composed of chitin, while the cell walls of plants are made up of cellulose.

Q: What makes fungi so important?
A: Fungi has the role of a decomposer in the ecosystem. It feeds on and breaks down dead and decaying matter; in a sense, it "recycles" the matter so it can be used again.

Q: What can fungi do for me?
A: Some fungi are yeasts and make bread rise, others are used in everyday products for cleaning, and they can even be used in farming. Some fungi act like bacteria and can be used to ferment food products. Mushrooms are fungi and are the nontoxic forms are frequently consumed by humans.

Q: How can I tell if a mushroom is dangerous?
A: There really is no simple rule to distinguish whether a mushroom is poisonous or not. However, you can start by learning about this common species that is poisonous: Amanita muscaria