According to Anderson (2018), heterotrophs are organisms that cannot manufacture their fuel like autotrophs and rely on the organic compound to obtain the source of energy they need. Fungi and animals are heterotrophs since they can’t synthesize their food, i.e., they both can’t manufacture the organic nutrient they require and obtain them by relying on the tissues of producers or other consumers. “All fungi are heterotrophic eukaryotes that feed by external digestion” (Cox, 2015). Thus, they get their nutrients by absorbing organic compounds from the environment.
However, fungi and animals usually differ in the way they obtain their food. Unlike many animals which feed directly on plants and digest the food they have consumed in their specialized organs, fungi carry out all these steps in the reverse order; digestion precedes ingestion. In fungi, the exoenzymes are transported out of the hyphae first, where they process nutrients in the environment. After the nutrients have been processed, the smaller molecules produced from the external digestion are absorbed through the large surface area of the mycelium (Cox, 2015). Mostly, fungi are saprophytes; they derive their nutrients from decaying organic matter. Fungi mainly get their nutrients from organic matter that is decomposing unlike animals which feed directly on plants and other vegetation.
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Fungi are essential ecologically. Fungi play an indispensable role in the biosphere. They are vital to recycling of nutrients in all terrestrial habitations since they are leading decomposers of plants debris like lignin and cellulose (Cox, 2015). Fungi are also crucial to human life. Fungi are biological insecticides. As animal pathogens, they aid in the control of the population of damaging pests. For instance, currently, the fungus Beauveria bassiana is a pesticide being tested as it is regarded as a biological control agent for emerald ash borer. Fungi figure prominently in the human diet. Truffles, chanterelles, mushrooms, shiitake, and morels are considered delicacies. Fungi are also important in the field of medicine (Cox, 2015). Naturally, Fungi produce antibiotics to inhibit the growth or kill bacteria. Important antibiotics like the cephalosporin and penicillin can be isolated from fungi.
References
Anderson, H. (2018). Heterotrophs: Definition, Nutrition, vs Autotrophs. [Online]. Available at: https://www.microscopemaster.com/heterotrophs.html . Accessed 12 th Dec 2018.
Cox, C. (2015). Chapter 20: Fungi. [Online]. Available at: https://slideplayer.com/slide/7604909/ . Accessed 12 th Dec 2018.
