Cunning bastards. Scientists found a new plant species that abandoned photosynthesis (photo)

This new species has successfully integrated into the forest network, but only consumes resources without bringing anything in return.

In the shadow of the enchanting Asian forests, scientists have discovered a new plant species that successfully integrates into the forest network and ceases photosynthesis.

The researchers noticed that the green pigment was completely absent from the leaves of the plant, as the plant stopped photosynthesis and switched to an alternative food source on the forest floor. Previously, researchers believed that the symbiotic mycorrhiza of Monotropastrum humile was the only species to attach to the “nutrition system” of fungi, but this turned out to be not entirely true.

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Symbiotic mycorrhiza is common in East and Southeast Asia, from the Himalayas to Japan. When these plants, which are connected to the extensive root system of the forest, took all the necessary nutrients from there, the plants gave some of the hydrocarbons they produced through photosynthesis to the fungi.

A new plant species was discovered by researchers from Japan and Taiwan, its name was Monotropastrum kirishimense. Scientists believe that this plant is unique – firstly, its leaves have a pinkish tint, and secondly, the plant has completely abandoned photosynthesis, which means that it has nothing to offer the root system.

The researchers discovered that a new plant species steals all the nutrients from the fungi and gives them nothing in return—in fact, they don’t have any photosynthetic products to transfer them to the root web.

The researchers also found that the new plant species, Monotropastrum kirishimense, has several distinguishing features: first, it has pink petals and sepals, second, its roots barely emerge from the pole, and third, they are closely related to the Russula mycorrhiza strain. The researchers also found that both Monotropastrum kirishimense and Monotropastrum humile species can grow in the neighborhood, but the flowering seasons are not the same – the latter blooming 40 days later. The researchers believe this is necessary so that the common pollinator of plants, the bumblebee Bombus diversus, does not accidentally drag pollen from one species to another, thus preventing possible hybridization of the plant.

According to Kenji Suetsugu, an ecologist at Kobe University, this species is actually endangered because it is extremely rare and lives in old-growth forests.

Previously Focus He wrote that the world’s largest organism, which has lived for 10,000 years, is about to disintegrate.

Source: Focus

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