BIOLOGY 1B Lecture 2: Feldman Lecture 2
Document Summary
Lichens, algae, mosses and the lower vascular plant. A mutualistic, symbiotic association between one or more fungi and one or more photosynthetic organisms, including cyanobacteria and/or an alga. Fungus functions in providing structure and photosynthetic organism in making carbohydrates and capturing sunlight. Able to live in some of the harshest environments on earth. Lichens are usually among the first, or the first plants to colonize disturbed arease. g. , volcanically disturbed areas. Function to secrete acids which weather rocks into soil. Used increasingly to monitor atmospheric pollutants, especially around cities. The first plants the algae originated in the oceans about 1. 5 billion years ago (bya). We owe the origins of our oxygen atmosphere due to the photosynthetic ability of algae and an earlier evolved group the cyanobacteria. Two major groups unicellular throughout their life cycle (phytoplankton or plankton when combined with small invertebrates the base of the food chain) diatoms and dinoflagellates red, green and brown algae unicellular and multicellular (seaweeds)
