PSYC 3103 Chapter Notes - Chapter 26: Mixotroph, Saprotrophic Nutrition
26 Oct 2020
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Document Summary
Fungi in symbiotic relationships with plants and trees. The relationship is mutualistic when fungi providing plants with water and minerals from the soil and plants provide the fungi with products of photosynthesis. Some fungi are parasitic, taking products from the plant without providing benefits. Conversely, some mixotrophic or parasitic plants connect with mycorrhizal fungi to obtain photosynthesis products. Finally, saprotrophic fungi live on dead organic matter without establishing a symbiosis with plants. To communicate, trees send chemical, hormonal and slow-pulsing electrical signals through the wood wide web. Trees also communicate through the air, using pheromones and other scent signals. When a giraffe starts chewing acacia leaves, the tree emits a distress signal in the form of ethylene gas. Upon detecting this gas, neighboring acacias start pumping tannins into their leaves, that in large enough quantities can sicken or even kill large herbivores.
