Summary:
- Humans have collected and grown mushrooms for food for thousands of years.
- Yeasts are used in bread baking and brewing alcoholic beverages.
- Fungi compete with bacteria for nutrients and space, and they parasitize insects that eat plants.
- They are a major source of citric acid (vitamin C) and produce antibiotics such as penicillin, which has saved countless lives.
- They can be genetically engineered to produce insulin and other human hormones, and are model research organisms.
- They reduce the need for pesticides and other toxic chemicals.