The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is F) heterotrophic.
A mushroom and a humpback whale share the fundamental biological characteristic of being heterotrophic. This term describes organisms that cannot produce their own food through processes like photosynthesis and must therefore obtain energy and nutrients by consuming other organic substances. They are often called “consumers” in ecological terms. This stands in direct contrast to autotrophs, such as plants and algae, which produce their own food.
The humpback whale, a member of the Kingdom Animalia, is a classic example of a heterotroph. It actively consumes other living things to survive, primarily feeding on krill and small fish. Through a process of ingestion and internal digestion, the whale breaks down this organic matter to fuel its metabolic needs, growth, and movement. All animals, from microscopic zooplankton to the largest whales, are heterotrophs.
Similarly, a mushroom, which belongs to the Kingdom Fungi, is also heterotrophic, though it obtains nutrients differently. Fungi are not plants and lack chlorophyll, so they cannot perform photosynthesis. Instead, they are a specific type of heterotroph that practices absorptive nutrition. The main body of the fungus, a vast network of threads called a mycelium, grows through its substrate, like soil or a decaying log. It secretes powerful digestive enzymes externally to break down complex organic material. The fungus then absorbs the resulting simple molecules directly through its cell walls.
The other options are incorrect. Both organisms are eukaryotic, not prokaryotic, as their cells contain a true nucleus. A mushroom is sessile, or non motile, while a whale is highly motile. Finally, both are large, complex multicellular organisms, not unicellular. Therefore, their shared method of acquiring nutrition from external organic sources is the key similarity.
