Question

What is the role of fungi in Estuaries?

1. What adaptations do they have that let them survive in your habitat?

2. Do they have to compete for resources? How do they compete?

3. Do they provide any services to your biome/ecosystem that help maintain it?

Answer 1

Fungi absorbs their nutrients from living or dead (plant or animal) organic matter on which the grow.

The role of fungi in estuaries is that they degrade ligno-cellulose efficiently and act as important decomposers in marine ecosystems.

Adaptation- Fungi adapt by increasing the surface area of gills thus producing more spores. Fungi also forms symbiotic association with plants in which fungi receives carbon from plants and the fungi provides complex nutrients to plants n an easily absorbable form.

Fungi compete for resources in several ways. Some fungi produce antibiotics against bacteria which helps them to compete for nutrients and space. Some fungi produce long, slender threads called hyphae which spreads over organic matter and produce enzymes which breaks down food in an easily absorbable form.

Fungi as decomposers are important as they are the cause of nutrients which can be used by members of other kingdom. Thus fungi play a major role in food web.