3D scans reveal how lichen fungi grip algae across cell walls

Lichens colonize trees and rocks all over the world. They are symbiotic communities between fungi and photosynthetically active green algae or cyanobacteria, in which both partners benefit from each other: The fungal partner relies on the algae for a supply of carbohydrates and, in return, it protects the algae from UV radiation and other environmental influences. The contact zone where the fungal cells and algal cells touch is crucial for transferring nutrients between the two symbiotic partners. Detailed investigations, particularly a three-dimensional understanding of this area between the cells, have been lacking until now.