LSAT 118, Section 2, RC Passage 3, Lichen

RC Passage 3 Explanation

PASSAGE TEXT: A lichen consists of a fungus living in symbiosis (i.e., a mutually beneficial …

Paragraph Summaries

1. Lichens are made of fungi and algae living together, but the evolutionary origins of lichen-forming fungi were unclear. DNA research shows that these fungi are not a separate group but are related to common fungi like yeast and mushrooms.
2. Studying lichen-forming fungi has been difficult because the fungus and algae are tightly connected, making it hard to separate and analyze the fungal DNA. New DNA techniques allowed researchers to classify lichen-forming fungi and place them on several different branches of the fungus family tree, suggesting they evolved multiple times.
3. The research challenges the idea that parasites naturally evolve into harmless relationships with their hosts over time. Fungi can move between parasitic and mutually beneficial relationships throughout evolution, rather than always progressing toward cooperation.

Analysis

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