English for

5.3 Reading Resources 
#1 Fungi 
#2 The Plant Kingdom 
#3 The Major Divisions of Land Plants 
A. 
Warm-Up 
Talk about the issues with a partner. 
1)
What is a fungus? 
2)
What is a plant? 
3)
Is there any difference between a fungus and a plant? 
4)
Why are fungi so important for all living things on Earth? 
5.3 Reading Resource #1
: Fungi 
The Latin word for mushroom is where the word "fungus" originates. Yes, the common 
mushroom is a fungus, but there are also a wide variety of other fungi (Figure 79). The country the 
term "fungi" refers to a huge variety of living things known as Eumycota, or true fungi. While 
scientists have identified about 100,000 species of fungi, this is only a fraction of the over 1 million 
species likely present on Earth. Edible mushrooms, yeasts, black mold, and 
Penicillium notatum
(the 
producer of the antibiotic penicillin) are all members of the kingdom Fungi, which belongs to the 
domain Eukarya. As eukaryotes, a typical fungal cell contains a true nucleus and many membrane-
bound organelles.
Fungi were once thought to be organisms that resembled plants, but DNA analyses have 
revealed that they are more closely related to animals than to plants. Fungi use intricate organic 
compounds as sources of energy and carbon because they are not capable of photosynthesis. While 
some fungi reproduce exclusively asexually, others do so in addition to sexual reproduction, Most 
fungi produce a large quantity of spores, which the wind spreads. Because they are decomposers and 
take part in the cycling of nutrients by reducing organic matter to simple molecules, fungi, like 
bacteria, are crucial to ecosystems. 
Fungi frequently interact with other organisms, forming cooperative or mutualistic 
relationships. Animals and plants can contract serious infections from fungi as well. For instance, 
many native species of elm are wiped out by the particularly destructive fungal infection known as 
Dutch elm disease (Ulmus spp.). The tree's vascular system becomes infected by the fungus. It was 

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accidentally introduced to North America in the 1900s and decimated elm trees across the continent. 
Dutch elm disease is caused by the fungus 
Ophiostoma ulmi
. The elm bark beetle acts as a vector and 
transmits the disease from tree to tree. Compared to American elms, many European and Asian elms 
are less susceptible. Fungal infections in humans are typically thought to be difficult to treat because, 
like bacteria, they are also eukaryotes and do not respond to conventional antibiotic therapy. 
Infections like these have the potential to be fatal for people with weakened immune systems. 
 
Figure 79.
The (a) familiar mushroom is only one type of fungus. The brightly colored fruiting bodies of this 
(b) coral fungus are displayed. The Aspergillus species of toxic fungi, which is primarily found in soil and 
plants, is depicted in this (c) electron micrograph as having spore-bearing structures
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.
Fungi have numerous commercial applications. Yeast is used in the food industry for baking, 
brewing, and winemaking. Fungal fermentation produces a variety of industrial compounds as 
byproducts. Numerous commercial enzymes and antibiotics come from fungi.