Nutrition in fungi: The fungi locks chlorophyll hence they cant prepare their own food material.

They are hetrotropic in nature. They derive their nutrient either form the dead & decaying matter or from living host by means of absorbtion which takes place by osmasis through the cell walls. Nutritioally the fungi can be grouped into three catagories a) Sprophytic b) Parasite c) Symbiotic. Saprophytes: Saprophytes obtains their food from dead & decaying organic matter which may be in the form of rooting plants debries or animal tissue, Along with bacteria & other micro-organisms they plays an important role in decomposition of residues of plant & animal origin. (Ex. Mucor, Rhizomes). Parasite: These are the organism, which attack the living host & derived the nutrient from the living host. According to degree of their specializtion they can be groped in to three catagories. Obligate parasite: are those organisms which live entirely on living tissue. They pass their entire life on living plants only. They never grow on dead & decaying material. Eg. Rusts. Facultative saprophyte : these are normally parasite but are capable of switching over as saprophyte eg. Smuts. Facultative parasites : They are originally saprophytes but they have ability to parasitism the living host hewn they come in contact eg. Pythium.

Symbiosis : may be diffident as association between two dissimilar organisms which mutually benefited from each other due to association are not antagonistic. E.g., Lichen Mycorrihza. Lichens: It is the symbiotic relationship between fungi & algae the algae prepare food from carbohydrate by photosynthesis and the fungi absorb water & other mineral elements required for photosynthesis. Mycorrihza: It is the symibotic relationship between the fungi with the roots of higher plants. When a living organism infected by a parasite is known as the host.