Proterozoic Eon → Earliest fungi (550 MA)

In contrast to plants and animals, the early fossil record of the fungi is meager. Factors that likely contribute to the under-representation of fungal species among fossils include the nature of fungal fruiting bodies, which are soft, fleshy, and easily degradable tissues and the microscopic dimensions of most fungal structures, which therefore are not readily evident. 

The earliest fossils possessing features typical of fungi date to the Paleoproterozoic era, some 2400 million years ago; these multicellular benthic organisms had filamentous structures capable of anastomosis, in which hyphal branches recombine.

Fungi are a group of living organisms which are classified in their own kingdom. This means they are not animals, plants, or bacteria. Unlike bacteria, which have simple prokaryotic cells, fungi have complex eukaryotic cells like animals and plants. Fungi are found throughout the Earth including on land, in the water, in the air, and even in plants and animals. They vary widely in size from microscopically small to the largest organisms on Earth at several square miles large. There are more than 100.000 different identified species of fungi.

Fungi characteristics:

• They are eukaryotic. 

• They get their food by decomposing matter or eating off their hosts as parasites. 

• They do not possess chlorophyll like plants. 

• They reproduce through numerous spores rather than pollen, fruit, or seeds. 

• They are usually not motile, meaning they cannot actively move around.