“The {{w|Fungus|fungi}} are remarkable for diversity of both form and function. Their ability to break down and to synthesize complex substances largely accounts for their success in colonizing widely different habitats, and has them of the greatest economic importance as parasites, as {{w|Saprotrophic nutrition|saprophyte}}s in the soil and on varied commercial products, and as the producers of {{w|antibiotic}}s, organic acids and other substances useful to man.”