The Amazing Fungi Kingdom!

Fungi are a hugely diverse group of organisms that despite their importance to maintaining the environment on Earth are greatly understudied in comparison to plants and animals.  They are neither plants nor animals and belong to their own kingdom yet are of vital importance to the well-being of both groups.  
 

Red cracking bolete (Boletus chrysenteron) - By Przykuta - CC BY-SA 3.0

 It is uncertain how many species of fungi there are globally.  Estimates range from 700,000 to 5 million so clearly no one really knows. The most widely quoted estimate is 1.5 million which still makes it six times as diverse as flowering plants.  Only about 100,000 species of fungi have so far been described.  

Classifying fungi

Fungi are very important organisms that play a crucial part in the cycle of life on the planet.  They are neither plants, or animals and are given their own kingdom in how life on Earth is classified.  Read more