TROPICAL RAINFORESTS: The Understory
Fungi
Fungi (Mycota Kingdom) lack chlorophyll and do not photosynthesize like plants to make food. Instead fungi are saprophytes, or organisms that feed of dead material. They feed by penetrating plant and animal tisue and secreting substances that break down structural material into simple sugars.Despite their essential ecological role in everything from agriculture to forest function, there remains much to be learned about fungi.
Continued: Rainforest floor