Evolutionary ecology is a field within both ecology and evolution that examines how interactions between and within species evolve. It explicitly considers the evolutionary effects of competitors ...

Give your orchids the foundation they need to produce those stunning blooms by understanding which type of potting mix ...

Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, the safest home of the one-horned rhino on Earth, sports at least 70 species of orchids. Officials of the UNESCO World Heritage Site said on ...

Parasite cleanses claim that a combination of supplements and diet can rid your body of parasites. Yet there is no evidence that any of these cleanses work, and some might cause dangerous side ...

Here is a list of ten of the most endangered and rarest plants in the world. Thought to be extinct in the wild, this rare flower blooms rarely in New Zealand. This cycad, a single-clone species, is ...

In other words, the orchids become parasitic only when they can, not whenever they need to, and this opportunity does not present itself often. Many questions are still left open, such as what ...

An orchid’s dual strategy Unlike fully parasitic orchids, Oreorchis patens still retains its ability to photosynthesize. However, it can also absorb up to half of its nutrients from fungi. This makes ...

Kenji Suetsugu a nd Hidehito Okada recently studied an orchid called Oreorchis patens, a partial parasite. This means the orchid can produce its own food but also takes up resources from fungi.

Science Biology Parasitic orchids ditch photosynthesis for fungi The plants might 'steal' from fungi just because they can. By Laura Baisas Published Feb 19, 2025 10:00 AM EST ...

In some orchids, photosynthesis is out and parasitism is in. Instead of making food from sunlight, some of these plants have become parasitic and primarily suck nutrients out of the fungi in their ...

However, some orchids have stopped producing their own food and completely feed on fungi. The Kobe University botanist SUETSUGU Kenji says: "I've always been intrigued by how orchids turn parasitic.

The orchid Oreorchis patens offers a prime opportunity to study this question, as it is a partial parasite, meaning that it can produce its own food but also takes up to half of its budget from fungi.