Question

Are fungi heterotrophs?

Answer 1

Yes fungi are heterotrophs.

Explanation:

There are two modes of nutrition, i.e auto-trophic and hetero-trophic.

The plants having auto-trophic mode of nutrition can synthesize their own food from simple substances like carbion dioxide and water during photosynthesis. These plants have green pigment chlorophyll, which entraps solar energy to be used in the synthesis of organic food during photosynthesis.

The plants which lack chlorophyll can not synthesize their food. These obtain their food either from a living host or from dead and decaying organic matter. This mode of nutrition is termed hetero-trophic mode and the organisms having this mode of nutrition are termed hetero-trophs.

Fungi lack chlorophyll and thus derive their nourishment from dead and decaying organic matter. Fungi are thus hetero-trophs.