Question

Lichens are ____________

(a) A fungal-Bacterial association

(b) A fungal-yeast association

(c) A Bacterial-yeast association

(d) A fungal-algal association

The question was asked by my school principal while I was bunking the class.

This key question is from Major Classes of Interactions in Mixed Cultures in chapter Mixed Cultures & Traditional Industrial Bioprocesses of Bioprocess Engineering

Answer 1

The correct choice is (d) A fungal-algal association

Best explanation: Lichens are a fungal-algal symbiosis (that frequently includes a third member, a cyanobacterium). The mass of fungal hyphae provides a protected habitat for the algae, and takes up water and nutrients for the algae. In return, the algae (and cynaobacteria) provide carbohydrates as a source of energy for the fungus.