Lichens - Lichen Biology, Uses Of Lichens
mutualism phycobiont bacterium blue
Lichens are an intimate symbiosis, in which two species live together as a type of composite organism. Lichens are an obligate mutualism between a fungus mycobiont and an alga or blue-green bacterium phycobiont.
Each lichen mutualism is highly distinctive, and can be identified on the basis of its size, shape, color, and biochemistry. Even though lichens are not true "species" in the conventional meaning of the word, lichenologists have developed systematic and taxonomic treatments of these mutualisms.
The fungal partner in the lichen mutualism gains important benefits through access to photosynthetic products of the alga or blue-green bacterium. The phycobiont profits from the availability of a relatively moist and protected habitat, and greater access to inorganic nutrients.
Additional Topics
The most common fungi in lichens are usually species of Ascomycetes, or a few Basidiomycetes. The usual algal partners are either species of green algae Chlorophyta or blue-green bacteria of the family Cyanophyceae. In general, the fungal partner cannot live without its phycobiont, but the algae is often capable of living freely in moist soil or water. The largest lichens can form a thallus up to …
Because they are capable of colonizing bare rocks and other mineral substrates, lichens are important in soil formation during some ecological successions. For example, lichens are among the first organisms to colonize sites as they are released from glacial ice. In such situations lichens can be important in the initial stages of nitrogen accumulation and soil development during post-glacial prim…
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