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What is haustoria? Give examples of the plant which is it?

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Last updated date: 20th Apr 2024
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Answer
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Hint:
Parasitism is the condition when an organism feeds on the other to draw all is nutrient and in return may harm it. Many organisms who cannot make their food adopt this mechanism. The host destroys itself when it gives shelter to the parasite. It does get very little or no advantage.

Complete answer:
What is haustoria? These are the small projections from the root on a parasitic plant. They will help the parasite to deduce the nutrients from the host by penetrating its tissues. The word ‘haustor’ means the one who drinks or draws.
Haustoria example- Mistletoes attach themselves to the host to draw the nutrients. It anchors to their structure. Loranthaceae and Viscaceae are the two major classes of mistletoes. They passively draw the water out of the host. They maintain the moisture gradient by opening their stomata pores both at night and in the day. It does not enter the membranes of the cell of plants.
Who is haustoria? The fungi have almost all of its members forming haustoria. They penetrate the cell wall to widen there for the absorption of water. For example, in the Chytridiomycota, the whole fungus may become entrapped in the cell. Cordyceps may look like eaten from the inside out.

Note:
The haustorium may be mycelium or look like a root. The plants seem to be under the full control of the fungus as they respond to its signals. The absorbed carbon is passed to the thallus of the fungi. The outer membrane of the host has most of the polysaccharide.