Question

Based on the data you collected, is a plant or an animal more closely related to a fungus (mushroom)?

Answer 1

Based on genetic and evolutionary data, fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. Both fungi and animals belong to a group called Opisthokonta, which is a clade that includes animals, fungi, and some protists. This classification is based on molecular and genetic evidence, showing that fungi and animals share a more recent common ancestor than either does with plants.

While both plants and fungi are important for ecosystems and have significant interactions with each other, their evolutionary paths diverged earlier than those between fungi and animals.