Which term defines plants, such as mushrooms, yeasts, and molds, that lack chlorophyll?

Which term defines plants, such as mushrooms, yeasts, and molds, that lack chlorophyll?

• A. Fungi
• B. Gram Negative
• C. Bacilli
• D. Chancre

Answer: (A)

Organisms like mushrooms, yeasts, and molds belong to the kingdom Fungi. A key feature of fungi is that they lack chlorophyll, so they don’t perform photosynthesis. Instead, they obtain nutrients by absorbing them from their surroundings, which is different from how most plants make their own food using sunlight. Fungi can be unicellular (yeasts) or multicellular (molds and mushrooms) and have cell walls made of chitin. They reproduce by spores that spread through the air or water. The other terms don’t fit this group: Gram negative and Bacilli describe bacteria based on staining and shape, not a chlorophyll-containing, non-photosynthetic life form, and Chancre is a medical term for a syphilis-related lesion, not a biological category.

Organisms like mushrooms, yeasts, and molds belong to the kingdom Fungi. A key feature of fungi is that they lack chlorophyll, so they don’t perform photosynthesis. Instead, they obtain nutrients by absorbing them from their surroundings, which is different from how most plants make their own food using sunlight. Fungi can be unicellular (yeasts) or multicellular (molds and mushrooms) and have cell walls made of chitin. They reproduce by spores that spread through the air or water. The other terms don’t fit this group: Gram negative and Bacilli describe bacteria based on staining and shape, not a chlorophyll-containing, non-photosynthetic life form, and Chancre is a medical term for a syphilis-related lesion, not a biological category.