Fungi used to be classified in the same kingdom as plants. In time, scientists observed a key characteristic that required reclassification. What was that characteristic?

Question

Fungi reproduce sexually and asexually.
Fungi are eukaryotic.
Fungi are heterotrophic.
Fungi are multicellular.

Answer 1

The characteristic that led to the reclassification of fungi from the same kingdom as plants is that fungi are heterotrophic. Heterotrophic organisms depend on other organisms for their food and cannot produce their own through photosynthesis, like plants do. Unlike plants, fungi obtain organic nutrients by breaking down and absorbing nutrients from organic matter in their environment. This fundamental difference in their mode of obtaining nutrition led scientists to recognize that fungi are distinct from plants and should be classified in a separate kingdom called Fungi. To determine this characteristic, scientists likely observed the nutritional habits and modes of obtaining energy of fungi, which eventually led to their reclassification.