Fungi are living things that are a lot like plants. They grow almost everywhere in nature, including the air. They don’t move around, but they do reproduce. Scientists once called fungi “plants,” but fungi cannot make their own food. They get their food from dead plants and animals. So today, experts put these living things in a group of their own. Mushrooms, mould, and yeast are types of fungi.
Mushrooms and moulds grow from tiny cells called spores. Spores float on the air like dust. When a spore lands on bread or something else it can use as food, it begins to grow. It sends out many tiny threads. Some of these threads grow down, like roots. Others grow upwards, like stems. Bunches of these threads form the spots you see on mouldy fruit or cheese.
Yeast cells look like drops of jelly. They’re so tiny you can’t see them without a microscope. When a yeast cell takes in food, such as sugar, it swells up and splits into two new cells. Then, each new cell takes in food, swells up, and splits in two. Soon, there are millions of new yeast cells. People put yeast in bread dough to help make the bread fluffy.
Picture Credit : Google