These trees now have circles and bare sites where ... A symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi composes lichens. Now, as the days get warmer (and maybe wetter), they respond.

One hardwood tree may harbor more than 30 species. But what makes lichens most fascinating is that each species is a curious, plantlike structure composed of a fungus and an alga — or sometimes ...

trees, walls, and roof tops,' it's their structure that makes them unique. This is because lichens are actually two plants living as one - algae and fungus growing together in one colony.

Scientists discover a third fungus that is widespread in lichens, but it’s not clear yet whether it’s a partner in the algal-fungal symbiosis or a bystander. Kerry served as The Scientist’s news ...

The fungus, which lives inside the leaves, not only increases the production of defensive substances in the trees, but also produces an alkaloid itself that protects the trees from feeding damage.