Fungi Form Symbiotic Relationships

Fungi Form Symbiotic Relationships

     Lichens are an association between a fungus and a cyanobacterium or a green alga. Traditionally, this association was considered to be mutualistic, but experimentation suggests a controlled parasitism by the fungus on the alga.                  Lichens may live in extreme environments and on bare rocks; they allow other organisms that will eventually form soil to establish. They are important in primary succession.
     The term mycorrhizae refers to an association between a fun- gus and the roots of a plant. The fungus helps the plant absorb minerals, and the plant supplies the fungus with carbohydrates.