Cited Reference: Spribille, Toby, et al. “Basidiomycete Yeasts in the Cortex of

Question

Cited Reference: Spribille, Toby, et al. “Basidiomycete Yeasts in the Cortex of Ascomycete Macrolichens.”Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 21 July 2016, http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2016/07/20/science.aaf8287

Please explain in detail in own words. Try to not to just copy answers from the article, so I can understand the article. Thank you

Can post online source if cited

Please explain in detail in own words. Try to not to just copy answers from the article, so I can understand the article. Thank you

a. What was the main lichen phenotype that correlated with the increased presence of the 3rd symbiont?

bWhat were the two reasons done by people that had missed this symbiont in the past?

c. What do they know about the specificity of this association, and how?

Explanation / Answer

a) Lichen is a symbiotic association of algae and fungi where algae is phycobiont and fungi is mycobiont. Here algae and fungi are 1st and 2nd symbiots. Most of fungi in lichen is Ascomycetes. Both algae and fungi in lichens form a branched structure known as thallus (a leafy mass of cells with not stem, leaf or root). A third symbiont found along with lichens is a fungus Basidiomycetes. It is a single cell just like yeast. Lichens have a cortex which is the outer layer of thallus. Cortex provides a space for 3rd symbiont (Basidiomycetes- a single cell yeast).
b) Basidiomycetes (3rd symbiont in lichens) and Ascomycetes in lichens shows too much similar physiological features. By looking at the structure also both shows huge similarities that even cannot distinguish microscopically.

C) Various metatranscriptome (ribosomal RNA) analyses of Basidiomycetes were done. It was found that not all the lichens are associated with same yeast. But it was observed that each type of lichen was associated with specific genetically distinct Basidiomycetes.

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