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Fungi are known as mushrooms and molds but they are also the cause of many diseases too. There are over 75,000 species of fungi in the world and probably millions more we have to discover. Mushrooms, mold on food, some diseases are only some type of fungi in this world. Since fungi don't have mouths they absorb nutrients from the organic material on which they live on. Fungi don't have stomachs so they must digest their food before it can pass through the cell wall into the hyphae. Fungi have evolved to use alot of different types of items as food. Some live off dead organic materials like leaves. Some fungi cause diseases by using living organisms for food. These fungi infect plants, animals and even other fungi! Athlete's foot and ringworm are two diseases fungi cause on humans and animals! Everyday you probably use fungal products without even realizing! People eat mushrooms of all shapes, sizes and colors. Yeasts are used in making bread, wine, beer and solvents. Some drugs made from fungi cure diseases and stop the rejection of transplanted hearts and other organs.Mushrooms, toadstools, etc. are only the "fruiting bodies" of fungi, which produce spores for reproduction. Most of the fungus is actually under the ground, which they are tiny threads called hyphae. There are many types of toxic fungi. Fungal poisoning is called "mycetism".

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15y ago

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