The fungus can grow much faster than the roots of the plants it interacts with, and can obtain nutrients from a large area of soil. It funnels these nutrients back to the plant, in exchange for some of the stored food in the root. Things to Remember Know the general life cycle of fungi . The life cycle of Rhizopus , will serve as typical fungal life cycle. Compare and contrast the special structures unique to sexual reproduction in each division of fungi.
Many fungi are edible, including gourmet fungi like morels and truffles.
Fungi are also the source of many antibiotics, including penicillin. Fungal rusts and smuts are major agricultural pests. Lichens are an important food for tundra animals like reindeer. Ergot fungi are ascomycetes that produce LSD, a strong hallucinogen. This fungus, a type of ascomycete, changed the history of the Russian empire, and may have been the root cause of the Salem witch trials.