Fungi are more closely related to ______ than plants.

• A. animals
• B. algae
• C. archaea
• D. bacteria

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the evolutionary relationships between organisms: Fungi, animals, plants, algae, archaea, and bacteria are all part of the tree of life, but they belong to different domains and kingdoms. Fungi and animals are both part of the Eukaryota domain, while archaea and bacteria belong to the prokaryotic domains.
2. Recognize that fungi and animals share a more recent common ancestor compared to plants. This is due to similarities in their cellular structure, metabolic pathways, and genetic evidence.
3. Consider key characteristics of fungi and animals: Both are heterotrophic, meaning they obtain energy by consuming organic material, unlike plants and algae, which are autotrophic and perform photosynthesis.
4. Examine molecular evidence: DNA and protein studies have shown that fungi and animals share more genetic similarities with each other than with plants, algae, archaea, or bacteria.
5. Conclude that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants, algae, archaea, or bacteria based on evolutionary, structural, and genetic evidence.