Are a kingdom of eukaryotic (their cells have nuclei) organisms.
For a long time fungi were classified as plants, mainly because of their similar lifestyles-both are seen to grow in soil and are sessile (permanently attached; not moving). Plant and fungal cells both have a cell wall, while cells from the animal kingdom don't. Many fungi play a crucial role in decomposition (breaking things down) and returning nutrients to the soil. They are also used in medicine, an example is the antibiotic penicillin, as well as in industry and food preparation. Fungi are a kingdom of eukaryotic (their cells have nuclei) organisms. Other examples of biological kingdoms include Plantae, the plants, and Animalia, the animals. Common fungi include mushrooms, yeasts, and molds. Although fungi may look like plants, they are in fact more closely related to animals. The study of mushrooms is known as mycology. The key characteristic of fungi which sets them apart from other organisms are their chitinous cell walls. They are both symbionts of plants, animals, or other fungi and also parasites. They may become noticeable when fruiting, either as mushrooms or as molds. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange in the environment. 1 With plants: Fungi have a cell wall and vacuoles. 2  They reproduce by both sexual and asexual means, and like basal plant groups (such as ferns and mosses) produce spores. 3  Similar to mosses and algae, fungi typically have haploid nuclei. Fungi (Singular: fungus) are classified within their own kingdom-The Kingdom Fungi, while some are in The Kingdom Protista. A fungus is neither a plant nor an animal. It is similar to a plant, but it has no chlorophyll and cannot make its own food like a plant can through photosynthesis. Many fungi play a crucial role in decomposition (breaking things down) and returning nutrients to the soil. They are also used in medicine, an example is the antibiotic penicillin, as well as in industry and food preparation. Fungi are important organisms and so distinct from plants and animals that they have been allotted a 'kingdom' of their own in our classifications of life on earth. The lower case 'fungi' is a general word that refers to organisms that all look and act the same, but are not all related. This group is artificial and includes moulds, yeasts, mushrooms, slime moulds, and water moulds (like Phytophthora, the cause of the Irish potato famine and Sudden Oak Death). Fungi. Fungi can be single celled or very complex multicellular organisms. They are found in just about any habitat but most live on the land, mainly in soil or on plant material rather than in sea or fresh water. Types of fungi. Fungi are subdivided on the basis of their life cycles, the presence or structure of their fruiting body and the arrangement of and type of spores (reproductive or distributional cells) they produce. Taxonomy is the classification of organisms. Although fungi are similar to plants in many ways, they do not have chlorophyll, the green pigment that enables plants to make their own food with the aid of sunlight (photosynthesis). Fungi release digestive enzymes that decompose things around them, turning them into food. Many fungi play a crucial role in decomposition (breaking things down) and returning nutrients to the soil. They are also used in medicine, an example is the antibiotic penicillin, as well as in industry and food preparation. The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is known as mycology (from the Greek μύκης, mukēs, meaning fungus). In the past, mycology was regarded as a branch of botany; today it is a separate kingdom in biological taxonomy. 1 With plants: Fungi have a cell wall and vacuoles. 2  They reproduce by both sexual and asexual means, and like basal plant groups (such as ferns and mosses) produce spores. 3  Similar to mosses and algae, fungi typically have haploid nuclei. The Fungi Kingdom is made up of a variety of different fungi. For many years, it was believed that fungi were plants. Today we know that fungi are different from plants in some very important ways. First, unlike plants, fungi cannot make their own food. They must rely on other food sources to support them. 
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158134.php http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-fungi.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungus http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158134.php http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/fungi/about http://www.microbiologyonline.org.uk/about-microbiology/introducing-microbes/fungi http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158134.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungus http://www.kidsbiology.com/biology_basics/five_kingdoms_life/fungi4.php
what is fungi