Question

Which is the salient feature of the Kingdom Fungi?
A) Cell wall made of chitin
B) Chlorophyll is absent so they are non-photosynthetic
C) They are autotrophic
D) Both a & b.

Answer 1

Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that include microorganisms such as yeasts, moulds and mushrooms.The organisms found in Kingdom fungi contain a cell wall and are present almost everywhere.

Complete answer:
A few characteristics of Kingdom Fungi are-
Fungi are heterotrophic organisms, since they depend on other organisms for food.
They lack photosynthetic pigments such as - chlorophyll.
In some cases, they are symbiotically associated with algae, to withdraw food and water.
The cell wall of fungi is made up of chitin - it is an N-acetylglucosamine long-chain polymer.
Fungi store their food in the form of starch.
Fungi are eukaryotic, non-vascular, non-motile organisms.
They reproduce by the means of spores.
Their examples include mushrooms, moulds, yeast.

Option A: The cell wall of fungi is made up of chitin. Cell wall is basically the outermost layer which is found in fungi and also in plants. But in plants the cell wall is made up of cellulose.
Option B: Chlorophyll is absent so they are non-photosynthetic in fungi. Thus, they cannot produce their own food as photosynthesis cannot take place.
Option C: Fungi cannot make their own food as they do not have chlorophyll and in turn the process of photosynthesis is not seen. Thus, they are heterotrophic and not autotrophic. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.
Option D: As both option A and B are correct, therefore this is the correct option.

Thus, the correct option is D) Both A and B.

Note: The three major groups of fungi are :
->Macroscopic filamentous fungi - that form large fruiting bodies. They are also known as “mushroom. ”
->Single-celled microscopic yeasts.
->Multicellular filamentous moulds.