fungi: symbiosis and disease

What is symbiosis?

A close relationship between two different species.

What is mutualism?

A relationship where both organisms benefit.

What are mycorrhizae?

Mutualistic associations between fungi and plant roots.

How do mycorrhizae benefit plants?

They help plants obtain nutrients and grow in difficult environments.

Can fungi cause plant diseases?

Yes, some fungi are plant parasites.

What are common symptoms of fungal plant diseases?

Cankers, wilting, mildew, leaf spots, and rotting.

What fungus causes coffee rust?

Hemileia vastatrix.

Which plants are affected by coffee rust?

Arabica and robusta coffee plants.

What are the symptoms of coffee rust?

Rust-colored leaf lesions and premature leaf drop.

How does coffee rust spread?

Spores spread through wind and rain.

What conditions allow coffee rust spores to germinate?

Free water on plant surfaces.

What happened to coffee plantations in Sri Lanka in the 1880s?

Coffee rust destroyed large areas of coffee plantations.

What crop replaced many coffee plantations in Sri Lanka?

Tea.

What is a lichen?

A mutualistic association between a fungus and an alga or cyanobacterium.

What does the alga provide in a lichen?

Glucose produced by photosynthesis.

What does the fungus provide in a lichen?

Protection, water, and minerals.

What are the three types of lichens?

Crustose, foliose, and fruticose.

What do crustose lichens look like?

Flat, crusty plates.

What do foliose lichens look like?

Leaves.

What do fruticose lichens look like?

Bushy, branching, or cup-shaped structures.

How do termites benefit from fungi?

Fungi digest plant material and provide digestive enzymes.

How do leafcutter ants use fungi?

They grow fungi on collected leaves and eat the fungal hyphae.