Animals and Fungi

[d22k]

Id heard that fungi were more closely related to animals than plants... Is this true? And if so can you provide a concise explanation?

 

Thanks ^^

[iNow]

Aren't fungi a type of plant? If plant is the set, then fungi is a subset (AFAIK), so the question doesn't seem to make much sense... at least, not to me.

[Mokele]

No, Fungi are a different kingdom from plants and animals, and are actually more closely related to animals. See this family tree, which includes plants, animals, fungi, and lots of other critters

 

As for the "why", the major unifying trait we can really see is that Fungi, animals, etc, when they have a flagullum on their cells (such as sperm), have only one and only at the 'rear' end (compared the plants, whose pollen may have multiple flaggelae). However, I suspect this classification also owes a lot of molecular data, which only really has the explanation of "the genes are more similar".

[iNow]

Outstanding. Thanks for knowledge, Mokele.

[Psycho]

No, Fungi are a different kingdom from plants and animals, and are actually more closely related to animals. See this family tree, which includes plants, animals, fungi, and lots of other critters

 

As for the "why", the major unifying trait we can really see is that Fungi, animals, etc, when they have a flagullum on their cells (such as sperm), have only one and only at the 'rear' end (compared the plants, whose pollen may have multiple flaggelae). However, I suspect this classification also owes a lot of molecular data, which only really has the explanation of "the genes are more similar".

To look at it quite simply fungal cells have greater similarity to animal cells, which of course as you said is based off the genes involved.

 

Some examples of differences in plants cells are chlorophyll, cell walls(of the same polymer), vacuoles all essential to be in the plant subsection, but are not found in fungus or animal cells.

[Mokele]

Fungi do possess cell walls.

[Psycho]

Fungi do possess cell walls.

Yes, made of poly-N-acetylglycosamine which is completely different to the polysaccharide cell walls of plants, so for all intents and purposes irrelevant in terms of sequence homology, due to it using completely different enzymes to create and synthesis the monomers.

[zule]

Both, fungi and animals, need organic matter to survive, whereas plants nourish from inorganic matter. This is because only plants can execute the photosynthesis.

[GDG]

For the degree of relationship, one looks to homologies between various genes. You can derive a numeric score that says how closely related two organisms are.

 

Fungi cell walls contain chitin, the same stuff that is found in insect exoskeletons and crustaceans.

[d22k]

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

As for living off organic matter, i believe there are newly discovered fungi living in the Chernobyl reactor, living off the radiation, that's non organic no? ^^

 

Ill dig out a source if you are interested.

[iNow]

As for living off organic matter, i believe there are newly discovered fungi living in the Chernobyl reactor, living off the radiation, that's non organic no? ^^

Indeed. Right you are.

 

 

http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/677/

The ruined remains of Chernobyl have become a source of several environmental mysteries. Rapid adaptation of rodents, the swift return of nature and now extremely happy fungi that seem to be feeding on waste radiation.

 

According to the research of some folks at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Cryptococcus neoformans is converting radiation into fuel. This could mean that fungus is the solution to two of our greatest environmental problems, lack of fuel and too much radioactive waste.

 

All we need to do is surround our nuclear waste with this radiation-eating fungus and then harvest it every once in a while to produce some kind of bio-fuel. I doubt we have enough radioactive waste to feed enough fungus to run America's automobile fleet, but that's hardly something to complain about.

 

It looks like melanin (the same melanin found in human skin) plays the roll of chlorophyl in this 'radiosynthesis.' After taking in the radio waves, the melanin starts off a reaction that allows the fungus to grow.

[Mr Skeptic]

One of the things is that plant cell walls are make of cellulose (all plants if you don't count the algae). Fungi cell walls are made of chitin, the same stuff that makes insect exoskeletons. Also, compare a fungus with a non-photosynthetic plant, eg one of the following: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myco-heterotrophs

 

When you look really closely, especially I think the reproductive parts, you will see that fungi are quite different to plants.

[CharonY]

Indeed. Right you are.

 

Sorry, but that is an hyperbole. The only thing observed was an increase on growth, not a growth on radiation as sole energy source. This is not the same.

[Patrick Henry]

Animals and fungi are consumers, plants are producers. Fungi and animals have similar cellular designs as well as reproduction.

[MM6]

Id heard that fungi were more closely related to animals than plants... Is this true? And if so can you provide a concise explanation?

 

Thanks ^^

 

The concise explanation is that protists gave rise to all eukaryotic life (plants, animals, fungi). Plants were the first to diverge from the protistas, followed by fungi and animals. So evolutionarily speaking, fungi and animals share a more recent common ancestor. Thus, they have more in common.

 

As GCG mentioned, this can be substantiated by DNA analysis.