Difference between Algae and Fungi

The main difference between Algae and Fungi is that Algae are photosynthetic organisms, while Fungi are heterotrophic organisms that obtain nutrients through absorption.

Algae and fungi are both eukaryotic organisms that are part of the Protista and Fungi kingdoms, respectively. Both groups of organisms are important to maintain balance in an ecosystem.

Algae Vs Fungi

Key differences between Algae and Fungi are enlisted below:

Algae	Fungi
1. Algae belong to kingdom Protista.	1. Fungi belong to kingdom Fungi.
2. Algae are autotrophic organisms. They prepare food by photosynthesis.	2. Fungi cannot prepare their own food. They have absorptive mode of nutrition.
3. Chlorophyll and other pigment are present in algae.	3. Chlorophyll is absent in fungi.
4. Algae may be unicellular to multicellular.	4. Most of fungi are multicellular. Only yeast are unicellular.
5. Plant body of algae is unicellular. colonial, filament or thallus.	5. Plant body of fungus consists of hyphae. Only yeasts are non-hyphal.
6. Cell wall is made up of cellulose.	6. Cell wall is made up of chitin.
7. Reserve food is starch.	7. Reserve food is sugars and glycogens. Minute oil drops are also present.
8. Dikaryotic phase is absent in fungi.	8. Dikaryotic phase is present in fungi.
9. Both diploid and haploid phases are present in algae.	9. Mostly both diploid and haploid phases are present.
10. Algae are not much resistant to decay.	10. Fungi are much resistant to decay.
11. Flagellated forms are present during life cycle of algae.	11. Flagellated forms are absent in fungi.
12. Asexual reproduction takes place by fragmentation, zoospore formation.	12. Asexual reproduction takes place by fragmentation, spore formation, and conidia.
13. Spores are dispersed by mostly water.	13. Spores are mostly dispersed by wind.
14. Sexual reproduction may be isogamy, anisogamy or by oogamy.	14. Sexual reproduction is zygospore, ascospore or basidiospore formation.
15. No fruiting bodies are produced.	15. Fruiting bodies like ascocarp basidiocarp are produced.