Fungi are a heterotrophic kingdom of yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Fungi live as parasites on plants and decaying matter. Like plants, fungi are non-motile structures that lack vascular tissues. They have multiple filament hyphae and cell walls made of chitin compounds.
Scientists say that fungi is more closely related to animals than to plants. Fungi reproduce both asexually and sexually. Asexual reproduction occurs through the release of spores, such as that of mushrooms. Sexual reproduction occurs by producing gametes in the gametangia. They lack chlorophyll as plants have for photosynthesis. 100,000 species have been identified and separated into four phyla , Zygomycota (molds), Ascomycota (yeasts), Basidiomycota (gill fungi), and Deuteromycota (those not clearly fitted into other phyla).