In contrast, in the kingdom Stramenopila, mycelium has diploid nuclei (one nucleus with chromosomes from both parents). In both kingdoms, the mycelium has rigid cell walls usually composed of chitin (a complex carbon
compound), although it is infrequently made up of cellulose in kingdom Fungi.
In both kingdoms, fungi obtain their nutrition by excreting enzymes into the host or any organic material, which is then broken down and absorbed into the hyphal cell to provide the nutrition necessary for growth. Fungi function in the ecosystem as saprophytes, or decomposers. They break down dead organic matter as parasites by attacking living hosts or host cells, and as mycorrhizae (mycor, meaning "fungi," and rhizae, meaning "root") by forming jointly beneficial unions with the roots of higher plants. Fungi and algae combine to form a plant called a lichen. Only fungi and bacteria decompose various kinds of organic matter and change complex organic structures, such as plant cell walls containing lignin or the chitinous exoskeletons of insects, into simple carbohydrates that can then be assimilated by a wide variety of organisms.
The hyphae grow until they form an extensive mycelium of fungal tissue.
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