Lichen: an interspecific relationship

At GREFA we saw a lichen on a tree. Lichen can only live where the air is clean.




A lichen is an example of an interspecific relationship. It is the association between an algae and a fungus (hongo).  It grows mostly on the north side of the tree, because it likes moisture and does not like a lot of direct sunlight.

The algae is a plant, so it performs photosynthesis and provides nutrients.  The fungus provides shape and structure to the organism. This is beneficial to both, so they have a relationship called "symbiosis."


Here is a video:



 

Here is another example of an interspecific relationship we saw at GREFA: a disease in a tree that is a relationship between bacteria and fungus, that is harmful to the tree. This kind of interspecific relationship is called  "parasitism."