One of the main differences between plants and fungi is that fungi have chitin as a component of their cell walls instead of cellulose. Both chitin and cellulose are comprised of polysaccharide chains. In plants the monomer in this chain is glucose and in fungi it is a modified form of glucose called N-acetylglucosamine. Another contrast between plants and fungi is the presence of chlorophyll in plants and not in fungi. Fungi absorb all the nutrients they need from the soil unlike plants which require chlorophyll to conduct photosynthesis.
The table below shows more differences between plants and fungi.
Comparison Chart
Feature Fungi Plants
Major cell wall component Chitin (N-acetylglucosamine) Cellulose (glucose)
Has chlorophyll for photosynthesis? No Yes
Digests food before uptake? Yes No
Has roots, stems and leaves? No, has filaments Yes
Can make their own food? No, heterotrophic Yes, autotrophic
Types of gametes Spores Seeds and pollen
Trophic level Decomposers Producers
Food storage form Glycogen Starch
