Fungal Characteristics: Heterotrophic Absorption and the Chitin Wall
This video presents the same text shown beside it, spoken and on screen. It adds nothing the text does not say.
State
Fungi are heterotrophic, absorbing nutrients after digesting them externally, and build cell walls from chitin, the polymer found in arthropod exoskeletons.
Show
A fungus secretes exoenzymes into its surroundings, breaking down organic matter into small molecules before absorbing them through the wall.
Watch for
Fungal digestion runs opposite to animal digestion — a fungus digests its food before ingesting it, not after.