Sometimes the fungus doesn't wait for the biomatter to die, in which case the fungus is called a parasite. Many plants, however, are dependent on the help of a fungus to get their own nutrients, living in a symbiotic relationship called a mycorrhizal association . Plants aren't the only ones, however, to enjoy fungi . Mycorrhizal associates benefit from this by absorbing materials digested by the fungi growing among their roots.
Fungi reproduce by releasing spores from a fruiting body.
The fruit, called a mushroom, releases spores into the air, and the wind carries the spores off to start the next generation. Around 100,000 species of fungi are divided into five phyla, based largely on the characteristics of their reproductive organs. When people think of mushrooms, the fruit of Basidiomycota probably comes to mind. Many mushrooms in this phylum look like umbrellas growing from the ground or like shelves growing on wood, but some, such as the latticed stinkhorn , look quite different. These families include but a few of the mushrooms sought by collectors and gourmets from among the 25,000 species in this phylum.