Difference Between Plants and Fungi

Plants vs Fungi
 

All organisms are grouped in to five kingdoms. Those are Monera, Protoctista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia. The division is made based on 3 criteria. Those are cellular organization, arrangement of cells and type of nutrition. Cellular organization is whether they are eukaryotic or prokaryotic. Cell arrangement is whether they are unicellular, multicellular, with or without true tissue differentiation etc. Type of nutrition is whether they are autotrophic or heterotrophic.

Plants

A combination of basic characteristics distinguishes kingdom plantae from other kingdoms. They have a eukaryotic cellular organization. Their mode of nutrition is photosynthesis. For photosynthesis plants possess chlorophyll a, b and carotinoids. They are multicellular organisms with true tissue organization. Plants possess a highly differentiated body with roots, stems and leaves. They contain cellulose cell walls. Main storage food substance is starch. Kingdom plantae is divided into many divisions. Those are bryophyte, pterophyta, lycophyta, cycadophyta and anthophyta.

Division bryophyte is the first group of plants to colonize on land. They are very small plants growing in moist, shady places. The dominant plant is a gametophyte, which is not differentiated into root, true stems, or true leaves. There are no vascular tissues or mechanical tissues. Bryophytes include mosses and worts. Pterophytes grow in moist, shady places. The dominant phase is a sporophytic phase. Sporophyte is differentiated into true roots and true leaves. However, the stem is an underground rhizome. In lycophytes, the dominant phase is the sporophytic phase. The sporophyte is well differentiated into stem, roots and leaves. Cycadophytes are seed bearing plants.

Dominant plant is sporophyte, and it is differentiated into leaves, stems and roots. They bear naked ovules. Anthophytes are the most advanced plants in the kingdom plantae. The dominant plant is a sporophyte which may be dioecious or monoecious. Xylem contains vessels and phloem contains sieve tubes and companion cells. They possess a highly differentiated reproductive organ known as the flower. In anthophytes, ovules develop within the ovary.

Fungi

They are eukaryotes with a vegetative body forming a mycelium. Mycelium consists of a mass of fine tubular branching thread like structures called hyphae. But yeast is unicellular. Their cell walls are usually made of chitin. They are always heterotrophic, and they are the major decomposers living on dead organic matter. Decomposers are saprophytes. These secrete extra cellular enzymes to digest organic matter and absorb the simple substances formed. Some are parasitic causing diseases in plants and animals. Some may be mutualistic. It is an association between two organisms where both are benefitted. Food is stored as lipids or glycogen and not as starch. Reproduction is by asexual or sexual methods by means of spores. Flagellated reproductive cells are absent.