How old is Kingdom fungi?

Topic:David Moore's World of Fungi

Ask about fungi and people think about fine specimens like these guys:

All photographs © David Moore 2011

Ask to what they are related and you’ll probably find that some people think fungi are plants…others think they might be bacteria.

‘How many of you think that fungi are bacteria?’ is a question posed at a recent Summer School for year 10 pupils (4th year in secondary school, and about 16 years of age at the time), by one of the pupils who had attended a workshop session of ours. When all attendees (approximately 170 pupils) were asked ‘Hands up all those who think fungi are plants’, about 15 hands went up, but when asked ‘Hands up all those who think fungi are bacteria’, at least 150 hands went up!

As teachers we are used to battling against the mistaken idea that fungi are plants, but it was a shock to find that so many pupils believe that fungi are bacteria so close to the end of their statutory education. After all, it’s a bigger error than for them to think that whales are fish; at least whales and fish are in the same biological Kingdom. Does such ignorance matter? We say it does. The practical reason it matters is because the activities of fungi are crucially important in our every day lives. The educational reason it matters is that fungi form what is arguably the largest kingdom of higher organisms on the planet. Ignorance of this kingdom is a major blot on our personal education.

Fungi are not bacteria, because fungi are eukaryotes and they have the complex cell structures and abilities to make tissues and organs that we expect of higher organisms.

Diagnosis – research resources