Mycetobiont symbiotic algae of wood-decomposing fungi

Abstract

It has been shown that green and blue-green algae develop in the basidiocarps of wood-decomposing fungi, with their total numbers reaching several tens of thousands per cubic millimeter. The photosynthetic activity of mycetobiont algae has been estimated. The results show that products of photosynthesis are not only assimilated by fungi, but also transported to the substrate mycelium. The relationships of wooddecomposing fungi with mycetobiont algae can be characterized as associative symbiosis providing them with access to an alternative (to wood) source of carbon and, possibly, nitrogen.