Symbiosis

共生是不同生物体的共同生活，通常是互利的。通过共享细胞商品和服务，共生体已经进化到解决单个有机体无法独自解决的问题。地衣由真菌和藻类组成，它们本身类似于微生物，但它们共同形成了复杂的宏观结构，优化了光合作用和通风。目前尚不清楚它们是如何实现这些结构的，但解决这个问题可能是理解微生物自组织的重要一步。该研究计划结合了基因组学，显微镜和生物信息学，以了解地衣在其发展和进化过程中如何形成3D架构。

Symbiosis is the living together of different organisms, often to mutual benefit. By sharing cellular goods and services, symbioses have evolved to solve problems individual organisms could not tackle on their own. Lichens are composed of fungi and algae that on their own resemble microbes, but together form intricate macroscopic architectures optimized for photosynthesis and ventilation. It is unknown how they achieve these structures, but solving this could be a major step in understanding microbial self-organization. This research program combines genomics, microscopy and bioinformatics to understand how lichens form 3D architectures in the course of their development and over evolution.