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The majority of an individual fungus lives “in” its food source. What characteri

ID: 226371 • Letter: T

Question

The majority of an individual fungus lives “in” its food source. What characteristics of the fungal growth form make this a necessity?

Question 1 options:

a high ratio of surface area to volume makes them highly susceptible to desiccation

low dispersal ability means that fungi will be restricted to life inside its host

require more nutrients than other organisms, which can only be acquired by living in a host

require the stimulus of “pushing” through the substrate to stimulate growth

a high ratio of surface area to volume makes them highly susceptible to desiccation

low dispersal ability means that fungi will be restricted to life inside its host

require more nutrients than other organisms, which can only be acquired by living in a host

require the stimulus of “pushing” through the substrate to stimulate growth

Explanation / Answer

The answer is a) a high ratio of surface area to volume makes them highly susceptible to desiccation.

Explanation:

The hyphae of fungi creates a complex network of filaments it is called a ‘mycelium’. Because the hyphae of fungi are so thin, they have an incredibly high surface area to volume ratio. The large surface area makes fungi extremely well-adapted to absorbing nutrients from soil and other substrates.But on the other hand, fungi is also highly susceptible to dessication.