Plants have cell walls. Fungi have cell walls. And yet, evolutionary biologists do not believe that cell walls are a shared derived character for these two groups. Why is this similarity not considered a shared evolutionary trait?

Question

Kiera Hampton

Biology

5 January, 06:13

Plants have cell walls. Fungi have cell walls. And yet, evolutionary biologists do not believe that cell walls are a shared derived character for these two groups. Why is this similarity not considered a shared evolutionary trait?

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Answers (2)

Know the Answer?

Deon Hahn · Answer 1

B.) The cell wall of plants & fungi, while both carbohydrates, are chemically distinct.

Amiga · Answer 2

Due to different chemical composition of plant and fungal cell wall, presence of cell wall is not considered as being the shared feature between these two groups.

Explanation:

Both plants and fungi have cell wall. The principle component of plant cell wall is cellulose while the fungal cell wall is mainly made up of chitin. If the presence of cell wall was a shared feature, both plants and fungi should have similar chemical composition of cell wall. Hence, it is not taken as shared character for these two groups of organisms.