Final answer:
A plant that depends on a fungal partner to obtain nutrients from another plant without producing its own food is known as a parasitic plant. The correct option is a.
Step-by-step explanation:
A plant like Indian Pipe, which does not produce its own food but obtains carbon products from other plants through the help of a fungal partner, is known as a parasitic plant. These types of plants depend on their host for survival and are typically unable to photosynthesize due to the lack of chlorophyll, making them heterotrophic.
Instead, they extract water and nutrients from their hosts through connections that may include structures such as haustoria, which penetrate into the host plant's tissues.
Parasitic plants can be classified as holoparasites, which are entirely dependent on their host for nutrients, or hemiparasites, which may still carry out photosynthesis to some extent but rely on the host for water and minerals.
A notable example of a parasitic plant is the dodder, with its specialized organ, the haustorium, used for extracting nutrients from the host. In contrast, saprophytic plants obtain their nutrients from decaying organic matter, while epiphytes grow on other plants without depending on them for nutrients. The correct option is a.