Today I learned that lichens have been discovered as not just two symbiotic species, as previously thought, but THREE! Each lichen is two species of fungi and one species of algae!

#MindBlown #Biology #Lichens #Fungi #Algea #Science #Symbiote #ThreesCompany #LoveTriangle #LichenSubscribe #FungiFriday

Edit: Wow. Woooooow. They're even more complicated than that!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7497170/

Lichens redefined as complex ecosystems

This article is a Commentary on .

PubMed Central (PMC)
@NanoBookReview Not always. Lichens are incredibly diverse and have varying combinations of algae and fungi. Recent research suggests that in many lichens, bacteria also play a significant role.