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A fineline seems to exist between symbiosis and parasitismwhen you examine the relationships between
To explain:
The hypothesis that how different selective pressures may have caused particular fungal species to adopt one or the other relationships and under what circumstances might a mutualism and parasitism evolve.
Introduction:
It is believed that plants brought fungi to land during the course of evolution which helped the plants to adapt to its surrounding more easily. Mycorrhiza is a mutual relationship formed between plant roots and fungi. In mycorrhizae the fungal portion colonizes the roots of plants. This association allows plants to absorb nutrients and metals with the help of fungal hyphae.
Explanation of Solution
The mycorrhiza is symbiotic association that allowed plants to absorb minerals, metals and nutrients and helped the fungi to obtain shelter. On the other hand the other relationship that is parasitic allowed the fungus to obtain food and shelter by causing harm to its host. Thus both under different selective pressure such as competition, food and so on can be adopted by particular fungus.
Plants brought fungi to land during evolution which helped the plants to adapt to the environment more easily. The association enabled the plants to absorb more nutrients efficiently and on the other hand it also benefited the fungi in terms of food and survival. Thus the relationship was beneficial for both.
The symbiotic relationship between fungi and plants can be transformed into other relationship that is parasitic. It depends on the selection pressure because there is fine balance between both symbiotic and parasitic relationship such as fungal portion evolved in mycorrhiza to covert symbiotic relationship into parasitic. However the plant did not evolved to stop this parasitism and allowed the survival of fungi. In such a way a parasitic relationship evolved.
The mutualistic relation between roots of most plants and soil fungi is known as mycorrhizae. The plants whose roots are occupied by mycorrhizae grow more easily and successfully in poor soil and fungal part in return gets shelter and food.
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