How Can the Biomass of Fungi in Soil Be Greater

question 25

Multiple Choice

How can the biomass of fungi in soil be greater considering that bacteria are more numerous?

• A) Fungi are always multicellular organisms, while bacteria are unicellular. As such, biomass of fungi would always be larger than that of bacteria, since they possess more cells in each individual organism.
• B) This is a matter of size. Fungi, whether unicellular or multicellular, are eukaryotic. As such, they will generally be larger than bacteria (which are prokaryotic). This means that, even with a lower overall number, they will have more total biomass.
• C) It depends on where they grow. Fungi generally grow in the most moist areas near the top of soil. This gives them an advantage over bacteria. They may not be as numerous, but this advantage in location and nutrients is what makes them larger than the bacteria (and therefore having more biomass). If the bacteria evolved to take over the top portion of the soil, THEY would have the larger biomass than the fungi.
• D) Fungi are capable of incorporating the dead materials around them into themselves as nutrient sources (while bacteria are not). This capacity allows them to greatly increase their biomass per each organism, well beyond what a simple bacterial cell could hold. This capability is what allows them to achieve higher biomass than bacteria.

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