What is the difference between algae and fungi?

Algae are mainly water plants dwelling on ponds, rivers, seas, lakes, oceans, ditches and other water bodies. Some species are also found on stones, the bark of trees, fences, etc generally in moist environment. They are photosynthetic organisms that have chlorophyll and can make their own food. Fungi do not have chlorophyll so these organisms cannot make their own food as algae do. These are decomposers that survive either consuming dead matter or eating off other organisms.

Green Algae:

The green algae have an important bearing upon our lives both for good and for evil. In course of their food-making activity, they add oxygen to the water thus making more of this essential gas available for fish and other organisms that form an important part of our food supply. They also serve as food for these creatures. The evil side is that the green algae cause water pollution in lakes, tanks, ponds etc and import unpleasant flavor and odors. 

Fungi:

Fungi have an assimilative or vegetative phase in which nutrients are taken up and mycelial growth in the substratum occurs. This phase is followed by reproductive phase in which the mycelium grows aerially and produces fruiting structure and reproductive cells or spores. A great many trees and other seed plants have a remarkable relationship with certain fungi. The mycelium of these fungi invades the root of the plants which assist in transporting water and minerals from the soil to the roots of the plants.

Difference between Algae and Fungi:

The major difference between algae and fungi can be described as follows:

• Algae possess chlorophyll while fungi do not possess chlorophyll.
• Algae are autotrophs and can make their own food while fungi are heterotrophs and cannot prepare their own food. They live as parasites.
• Algae generally cannot live in darkness as light is essential for making their food while fungi can live in light and in darkness also.
• The cell wall in algae is mainly composed of carbohydrate cellulose while cell walls in majority of the fungi are composed of chitin.
• The plant body of algae is unicellular or multicellular known as thallus while in fungi the thallus is known as mycelium.
• The algae are usually green colored while fungi are not green and generally colorless.
• The reserve food material of algae is starch while that of fungi is glycogen.
• Examples of algae are Oscillatoria, Oedogonium, Diatons, Polysiphonia Chara  etc whereas examples of fungi are Pythium, Phytopthora, Rhizopus, Mushrooms etc.

Algae can be defined as a group of aquatic plants which are less photosynthetic in nature. It can be unicellular or multicellular. It is classified on the basis of its photosynthetic nature and accessory pigment. These are generally brown, green and red algae. The study of algae is known as Phycology. 

Algae could grow in size from being microscopic to over 100 feet in length, depending upon its type. They are capable of reproducing in various ways from simple asexual cell division to complex forms of sexual reproduction. Seaweeds are the edible forms of algae.

What is Fungi?

Fungi can be defined as a group of heterotrophic, spore-bearing and non-vascular organisms which do not have chlorophyll. Some of the fungi are single celled such as yeast while others are complex like mushrooms. A branch of biology called Mycology deals with algae. 

What Impact Can Fungi Have?

Fungi are both symbiotic and parasitic in nature, where they could thrive on other living beings. They are able to decompose organic matter and extract nutrients from the organic substance. They convert organic material into the inorganic material. They play a fundamental role in nutrient cycling and its exchange. Fungi can also be used as food for human beings.

The Major Differences Between Algae and Fungi Are:

• Algae are the most aquatic which are found in fresh as well as marine water, whereas fungi are terrestrial grown on land where organic material is present with the proper condition of heat and moisture.
• Algae contain green coloring matter called chlorophyll, whereas fungi do no possess chlorophyll.
• Algae are autotrophs, which are capable of preparing their own food, whereas fungi are heterotrophs.
• Algae cannot survive in darkness as they need light to prepare food, whereas fungi can survive in both lights as well as darkness.

Algae and fungi are thallophytes, which means that their level of organisation is the lowest in the plant kingdom. Both of them are considered in the same polyphyletic group because they exhibit many similar features, such as the low amount of differentiation between plant organs, spores as a medium of reproducing (even though it is common in all cryptogams) and inclusion of some symbiotic members. But here we will discuss the differences between these thallophytes, as they still have many distinct features too. So, here are the detailed differences between fungi and algae.

Habitat:

Most algae tend to prefer moist areas or aquatic habitats, while most fungi prefer land and terrestrial habitats. Another thing worth noting here is that algae need areas which receive large amounts of sunlight during the day, as they are autotrophic in nature, but fungi may not require sunlight at all.

Mode of Nutrition:

Algae utilizes chlorophyll to make their own food, so they are autotrophic in nature. Fungi, on the other hand, are heterotrophic and absorb food from their surroundings, which means that they may be saprophytic or parasitic too.

Cell Type:

All fungi have a eukaryotic cell structure. However, a certain species of algae has a prokaryotic cell structure. This species is Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Blue-green algae). Other than this, all algae have a eukaryotic cell structure.

Fungi have a quite different cell structure than algae. They usually have more than more than one nucleus, while algae usually have a single nucleus. Also, their cell walls are made up of different materials. In an alga, the cell wall is constructed with cellulose, while in fungus it is made by chitin.

Color:

Due to the presence of chlorophyll in their bodies, algae always have a greenish tint in them. However, fungi do not have chlorophyll in their bodies at all, so they never have a greenish tint. They may either be brightly colored or completely colorless.

Food reserves:

Algae store starch as food, while fungi store glycogen as food. This is mainly because of their different methods of procuring food.

Cell division processes:

While algae utilize the classic method for mitosis, fungi use a quite different method for this purpose. This process is called endo-mitosis. The biggest difference in the processes is that endo-mitosis do not organize the nuclear membrane like mitosis.

Reproduction:

The processes connected with reproduction are also very different in algae and fungi. The sexual complexity is decreased as the body organisation is increased in fungi, and vice versa in the case of algae. Another thing is that fungi can utilize a lot of techniques for reproduction, such as somatic hybridization, gametangial contact and spermatization.

Algae and Fungi are mostly related with Moss and Mushroom. Most people don't differentiate between the two, but they are distinctly different.

• Algae - The green slimy layer which we find in lakes is called Algae. 
• Fungi - The fuzzy micro-organisms that are found on mushrooms. 

Algae are the aquatic plants and the branch that deals with algal study is called Phycology. Algae can be unicellular or multi-cellular. Algae can be brown, red, or green in color. Algae can grow to about 100 feet in length from a microscopic size. It all depends on the type.

The branch that deals with fungi study is called Mycology. Fungus are of two types: Yeast and Mushrooms. 

When we differentiate between algae and fungi, we do it on the basis of domain, kingdom, origin, location, survival, uses, symbiosis, reproduction, and their nature.

On the basis of domain - Algae and fungi both belong to one domain group which is called as - Eukaryota.

• On the basis of Kingdom - Algae is Priotista and Fungi belongs to fungi kingdom.
• On the basis of origin - The word "Algae" has originated from the Latin word - "seaweed". Whereas the word "Fungi" has originated from the Latin word "mushroom".
• On the basis of location - Algae is more prominent in water bodies. It usually grows in not-so-favorable environments such as snow and ice. Fungi grow mostly on organic material, living or dead, with adequate warmth and moisture. 
• On the basis of survival - Algae survive on light, minerals from the water. Fungi survive on organic nutrients which are based on carbon.
• On the basis of usage - Algae can be used as fuel, fertilizer, and dye. They are also used to control pollution. Fungi is used in medicine, pest control, and enzymes. 
• On the basis of reproduction - Algae has a very complex asexual reproduction system. On the other hand, Fungi has asexual, sexual, as well as spore dispersal reproduction system.
• On the basis of nature - Algae are Non-parasitic in nature, whereas Fungi are parasitic in nature.

Algae:

Alga is the singular form of algae, which is a Latin word, meaning ‘seaweed’. Algae are multicellular or unicellular autotrophic organisms. Algae have a nucleus present within a membrane and a few more membranes enclose the plastids. 

All the eukaryotic organisms have a nucleus present in a membrane, this feature of algae makes them a part of the Eukaryota and Protista kingdom. All the algae belong to the paraphyletic and polyphyletic group. They are the descendants of different algal ancestors.

Algae are found in water bodies, on rocks or on hard substances present in moist places. Algae are rootless and stemless organisms that contain chlorophyll. Algae can grow from microscopic size to over 100 feet in length, depending on the type.

The size of the algae varies from 100 feet to a microscopic size. The size of the algae depends on the types of the algae. There are six types of algae, they are Pyrrophyta, Chrysophyta, Phaeophyta, Chlorophyta, Euglenophyta. The form of reproduction or cell division is both, sexual and asexual.

Fungi:

Fungi are a group of unicellular or multinucleate organisms that live and grow on decomposed matter. Fungi are unicellular and multicellular organisms develop on the decomposed matters. Moss, mushrooms, yeast, molds and truffles are examples of fungi.

A layer or the fuzzy appearance on spoilt food is called fungi. Fungi belong to the fungi kingdom and are part of the Eukaryota domain. The cell wall of the fungi contains chitin, unlike the algae that contain chlorophyll. A fungus is the singular form of fungi. A fungus is also derived from a Latin word that means mushroom. The division of the fungi takes place through both the methods that are sexual and asexual.

The fungi can be compared to plants since they have many similarities. Fungi and plants, both grow on soil and are immobile. Fungi are dependent on other living organisms, therefore are considered as parasitic and symbiotic. They can be seen on plants and animals and on insects and humans.