Say whether each fungus is a saprophyte, a parasite or a symbiont: (a) Puccinia making rust spots…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Say whether each fungus is a saprophyte, a parasite or a symbiont:
- (a) Puccinia making rust spots on the leaves of wheat
- (b) the fungus of a lichen on a rock
- (c) a bracket fungus on a dead log
- (d) a fungus that wraps the roots of a pine tree and helps it take in minerals
- (e) Aspergillus on stored groundnuts
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
A fungus has a mycelium of hyphae: septate (with cross walls) or coenocytic (no cross walls, many nuclei). The wall is of chitin and polysaccharides. Fungi are saprophytes, parasites or symbionts (lichens, mycorrhiza). Sexual reproduction: plasmogamy (two cells fuse, ), karyogamy (the nuclei fuse, ), then meiosis (haploid spores, ).
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
(a) It feeds on living wheat: a parasite.
(b) It lives with an alga, to the benefit of both: a symbiont.
(c) It feeds on dead wood: a saprophyte.
(d) A mycorrhiza, which helps the tree: a symbiont.
(e) It feeds on stored, non-living seeds: a saprophyte.
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