Researchers working in a Brazilian rain forest recently discovered eight species of bioluminescent mushrooms at a single site. The mushrooms continually emit a faint glow that, although undetectable in daylight, makes them visible at night. Suggest a mechanism by which glowing in the dark could benefit a mushroom. Why do you think so many species with this unusual trait live in the same region?

Researchers working in a Brazilian rain forest recently discovered eight species of bioluminescent mushrooms at a single site. The mushrooms continually emit a faint glow that, although undetectable in daylight, makes them visible at night. Suggest a mechanism by which glowing in the dark could benefit a mushroom. Why do you think so many species with this unusual trait live in the same region?

Biology Today and Tomorrow without Physiology (MindTap Course List)

5th Edition

ISBN:9781305117396

Author:Cecie Starr, Christine Evers, Lisa Starr

Publisher:Cecie Starr, Christine Evers, Lisa Starr

Chapter17: Communities And Ecosystems

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 2CT

See similar textbooks

Similar questions

According to your text, why are most species in the Orders Pilosa and Cingulata found in tropical and subtropical areas?
Many people like to eat spicy foods, but most other mammals don’t. Historically, the general trend was that the hotter the climate, the spicier the foods a society traditionally favored. Using these facts as a starting point, what might be the selective advantage for plants that can manufacture spicy chemicals? Why might it be useful for humans to tolerate, and even enjoy, spicy food?
Scientists have studied, in detail, the evolution of the peppered moth, Biston betularia, over the last two hundred years. The peppered moths rest on tree trunks and are a tempting treat for birds in the area. In the mid-1800s the trees in their England habitat were covered with lichens, which are a light, grayish-green color. Although color variations occurred, the vast majority of the moths were light-colored. Because their light coloration effectively camouflaged them against the lichens-covered trees, they were not as easily seen by birds as darker colored moths. The light colored moths flourished.The environment changed, as the Industrial Revolution progressed. By 1900, the lichens had died and trees were coated with soot due to industrial pollution. The lighter colored moths were no longer "hidden" in their environment, and in fact, were easily seen by their predators. Their numbers dwindled. At the same time, the darker-colored moths flourished because of their ability to hide…
A number of different, unrelated species of Arctic fishes have evolved an adaptation to avoid freezing in frigid, winter waters. These different species all use the same glycoprotein that they circulate through their blood to prevent ice crystals from forming in their bloodstream. What is the adaptation of freeze resistance in these fishes is an example of? Parsimony Paraphyly Homoplasy Synapomorphy
Based on the evidence of natural selection, how do humans might influence the process of evolution of the introduction of tilapia in aquaculture?
A massive die-off of lobsters in the Long Island Soundwas blamed on pesticides sprayed to control mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus. Why might a chemical designed to kill insects also harm lobsters but have no effect on sea stars?
The Basidiocarp (mushroom) of many club fungi are deadly poisonous. Amanita falloides for example is a mushroom that is deadly poisonous and can kill a person even if he/she eats only a few bites. As we covered in our ecology unit, it is physiologically expensive to become this poisonous. Agaricus bisporis is also a species of club fungus (mushroom) that occupies the same areas as Amanita falloides, and has a very similar appearance. Agaricus bisporis, however, has not evolved to produce toxic mushrooms. 1. Explain why it is beneficial for Amanita falloides to invest so much energy into making it's mushrooms in particular so poisonous. 2. Based on the concepts covered in our course, provide an ecological explanation for why Agaricus bisporous has not evolved to produce toxic mushrooms. ***Hint--think about the relationship between these two mushroom species***.
Give three reasons why tilapia does not stay in the sea
Why are there so many different types of plants that host butterflies and serve as food for them? What does this mean about the diversity of butterflies?
Scorpions occupy every continent except Antarctica, and all scorpionsfluoresce under ultraviolet light. What do these observations mostlikely suggest about the origin of scorpion fluorescence?a. The common ancestor of scorpions fluoresced.b. Scorpion fluorescence evolved independently on each continent.c. Scorpion fluorescence is a vestigial characteristic.d. Scorpion fluorescence evolved recently.
Because most lichens are not good for food and are not very important economically, should we be as concerned about some of them becoming extinct as we are about whales disappearing?
Many fungi are decomposers and degrade organic matter (such as wood and leaf litter). It has become clear that many of these decomposers are also able to colonize live plants as endophytes (living inside the plant without causing any harm) and allowing for prime access to plant tissues once the plant dies. Explain, using the principles of natural selection, how having the ability to be both a decomposer and endophyte evolved. Make sure you include the four steps of evolution by natural selection in your response.