Kingdom: Fungi (Fungi)

The kingdom Fungi is a diverse group of organisms, that are neither plant nor animal, with over 70,000 described species including molds, mushrooms, yeasts, rusts, smuts, puffballs, and truffles. They present a great diversity in size, shape and habitat, and live everywhere, occurring in and on plants and animals, and in water, soil, and even in air. With most fungi, only the fruiting body, such as a mushroom, is seen. The living body is called the mycelium which is made of tiny filaments called hyphae. The hyphae secret digestive enzymes and acids to break down organic material into simple compounds which are then absorbed by the fungus to provide the nutrition it needs to grow.