Algonquin College Health Program Assessment (AC-HPAT) Practice Exam

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Which kingdom do mushrooms belong to?

Plantae
Animalia
Fungi
Protista

The correct answer is: Fungi

Mushrooms belong to the kingdom Fungi, which is distinct from the other kingdoms of living organisms. The Fungi kingdom is characterized by organisms that lack chlorophyll, meaning they do not perform photosynthesis like plants. Instead, fungi absorb nutrients from their environment through external digestion, breaking down organic material. This distinguishes them from plants, which belong to the Plantae kingdom, and from animals in the Animalia kingdom, which typically ingest and internally process their food. Mushrooms, specifically, are the fruiting bodies of certain fungi and serve to reproduce and spread spores. They play crucial roles in ecosystems as decomposers, breaking down dead organic matter and recycling nutrients back into the soil, which highlights their ecological importance. This unique mode of obtaining nutrients and their reproductive structures is what firmly classifies them within the Fungi kingdom.