Mycobiont

A mycobiont is the fungal partner in a lichen association. It forms most of the lichen’s body and houses or surrounds its photosynthetic partner.

Photobiont: The photosynthetic partner in a lichen, usually a green alga or cyanobacterium. It supplies carbon compounds that support the fungal partner.
Fungus: A eukaryotic organism that absorbs nutrients and typically grows as microscopic filaments or yeasts. Every mycobiont belongs to the fungal kingdom.
Lichen: A stable association between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, usually an alga or cyanobacterium. A mycobiont is defined by its role within this association.
Lichenometry: A dating method that estimates the age of exposed surfaces from the growth of lichens. Mycobiont-controlled thallus growth underlies the method’s size measurements.
Lichen thallus: The body of a lichen, formed by its fungal partner together with one or more other partners. The mycobiont organizes this body into a characteristic structure.
Hypha: A tubular filament that forms the basic growing structure of most fungi. Networks of these filaments build the mycobiont’s body.
Lichen evolution: The evolutionary history of lichen-forming fungi and their repeated associations with photosynthetic partners. It traces how fungal lineages came to form lichen partnerships.
Lichen bioindicator: A lichen used to assess environmental conditions through its presence, abundance, or chemical state. Fungal partners influence sensitivity to pollutants and environmental stress.
Lichen cortex: An outer layer of densely packed fungal cells in many lichen thalli. Cortical hyphae are part of the fungal architecture that protects the association.
Mycelium: A network of fungal hyphae that grows through a substrate or tissue. The mycobiont’s hyphae organize into networks within the lichen.

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