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
Lichen has been described as “Lichens are fungi that have discovered agriculture”.
So it is a fungus that lives in a symbiotic relationship with algae or cyanobacteria.
The algae or cyanobacteria can photosynthesis ie use light to convert water and carbon dioxide to sugar and oxygen just like pants do.
Fungi can’t photosynthesis and are biologically closer to animals them plants. So they can provide nutrients from the ground and give the algae or cyanobacteria a structure to live in.
So it is two types of life that both need each other to survive.
In a way, humans and the bacteria in our guts are similar because we use them to break down the food. We have a huge problem surviving without the gut bacteria.Cows and other animals that eat grass uses bacteria in this stomach to break down the cellulose. They would not be able to survive at least not on the normal diet without the bacteria.
So in a way animals are not that different because we too used another living thing inside us to survive. You could describe a cow as an animal, bacteria symbiosis.
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