Question

Which of the following statement holds good with the term lichen?

• A. Lichens are small flowerless plants that typically grow in dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations
• B. They are multi cellular eukaryotic organisms that are heterotrophs
• C. A composite organism made up of a fungus, that grows symbiotically with an algae or a cyanobacterium
• D. Lichens contains only unicellular organisms with a prokaryotic cell organization

Answer 1

The correct option is C A composite organism made up of a fungus, that grows symbiotically with an algae or a cyanobacterium

• Mosses are small flowerless plants that typically grow in dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations.
  
• Lichens are multicellular, eukaryotic but they have symbiosis as their mode of nutrition where algal component provides nutrition and fungal component helps in mineral absorption and protection.
• Lichens contain unicellular cyanobacteria if the algal component contains cyanobacteria but all cells are not unicellular as fungal myceliae are multicellular.
• So the correct answer is 'A composite organism made up of a fungus, that grows symbiotically with an algae or a cyanobacterium.'