I was on a hike recently and remembered my childhood fascination with the small orange and green lichen that grows on the surface of rocks. I was under the impression it was a type of fungi, but brief research said it was a plant. More research says yes but actually no, it’s a plant AND a fungus. Even more said it’s a plant, fungus, and bacteria. I’m thoroughly confused by this and there’s just too much information and I’m having trouble sifting though it.
I greatly appreciate the information, thanks in advance!
In: Biology
Even scientists that study them have difficulty classifying them clearly. Are they a plant? Are they a fungus? “A lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship. Lichens have different properties from those of its component organisms. ” So yeah, they basically cannot give a solid answer, as they seem to be one or another, and yet don’t have the same properties as the ones they seem to be.
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