Read Lichen Partner Roles
A focused NSEB read on the two partners in a lichen association.
Lichens is the central idea in this question pattern. Identify the condition in the stem before applying the method below.
Assign the partners' roles
The phycobiont is the photosynthetic partner: it may be a green alga or cyanobacterium and provides organic food. The mycobiont is the fungal partner: it supplies the protective body, absorbs water and minerals, and retains moisture.
Test each statement directly
The phycobiont is not a higher plant. Therefore statements about food synthesis, possible cyanobacterial identity, and fungal shelter/mineral uptake are true, while the higher-plant claim is false.
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- ✓Phycobiont = algae or cyanobacteria; photosynthesis.
- ✓Mycobiont = fungus; shelter, water, minerals.
- ✓A lichen is a symbiotic association, not a higher plant.
The fungal partner does not photosynthesise; the photosynthetic partner does not provide the fungal thallus.
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