Why does Pilobolus fungus shoot a sac that contains spores toward a light source?
Fungi evolved a variety of spore discharge processes to make their reproduction successful. One of these strategies includes "squirt guns" which are most common in the Ascomycota and Zygomycota. What makes the spores of these fungi groups discharge at high speeds?
Saprotrophic fungi such as Pilobolus feed on dead organisms by releasing some extracellular enzymes. What is the main function of these extracellular enzymes:
Pilobolus fungus throws its sporangia on grass. The sporangia which stick on the grass are ingested by the cow. These sporangia stay in the cow's digestive system unharmed. When the cow migrates to another area, the sporangia are excreted along with the cow's dung. This helps the fungi disperse into a new location. This type of symbiotic relationship is called:
Pilobolus is a genus of fungi that commonly grows on herbivore dung. It is characterized by having: