An organism formed by the symbiotic association between a fungus and a algae.

certain fungi and algae that live together in a mutually beneficial association.

The lichens are a biological and not a systematic group and each is basically a stable self- supporting association of a fungus (the mycobiont) and an alga (the photobiont). They are unique in that in many (but not all) cases the resulting life form and behavior differ markedly from that of the isolated components.