Question

Explain, in terms of their trophic level, why fungi are no longer placed in the same kingdom as green plants

Answers

GPT 3.5
Fungi are no longer placed in the same kingdom as green plants because they are not primary producers like green plants. Green plants are autotrophic organisms that can photosynthesize and produce their own food using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. This means they occupy the trophic level of primary producers.

On the other hand, fungi are heterotrophic organisms that obtain their nutrients by breaking down organic matter from dead or decaying organisms. They do not possess the ability to photosynthesize and are not primary producers like green plants. Instead, they occupy the trophic level of decomposers or saprotrophs.

Because of this difference in trophic level and mode of obtaining nutrients, fungi are now classified in their own separate kingdom, Fungi, separate from green plants in the Plantae kingdom.

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