Almost always, the diploid stage of the life history is very brief and the organism carries out the majority of it s life functions in the haploid or dikaryotic stage -Hyphal growth form. The collective hyphae of a fungus is called a mycelium . Like plants they have a cell wall, however it is not cellulose based. Fungi secrete enzymes into the environment to breakdown macromolecules prior to absorption and further digestion.
Fungi are very important as nature's recyclers of nutrients.
The first, and still the most widely medically used antibacterial drug, penicillin, was isolated from a fungus. Chytridiomycetes A. Classification -Primarily aquatic, some in soil, and some are anaerobic rumen fungi. These organisms allow for the metabolization of cellulose. Zygospores are formed by the fusion of specialized hyphae called suspensors where the two compatible strains come in contact. Thus the relationship is primarily mutualistic.