Many non-photosynthetic vascular plants in 10 diverse families obtain all of their carbon from fungi, but in most cases the fungi and the ultimate sources of carbon are unknown. In a few cases, such plants have been shown to be epiparasitic because they obtain carbon from neighbouring green plants through shared mycorrhizal fungi. In all such cases, the epiparasitic plants have been found to sp...

Dust seeds that germinate by obtaining nutrients from symbiotic fungi have evolved independently in orchids and 11 other plant lineages. The fungi involved in this 'mycoheterotrophic' germination have been identified in some orchids and non-photosynthetic Ericaceae, and proved identical to mycorrhizal fungi of adult plants. We investigated a third lineage, the Pyroleae, chlorophyllous Ericaceae...

The lush green vegetation of moist tropical forest is not what it appears. Dissolve away all the plant matter from the dense foliage, giant buttressed trunks, tangled lianas, and sinuous roots, and a ghostly fungal shadow of the forest will remain. These fungi—diverse symbionts that include mutualists, commensals, and parasites—play critical roles in the dynamics, diversity, structure, and func...

This review focuses on interactions among plants, mycorrhizal fungi, and bacteria, testing the hypothesis whether mycorrhizas can be defined as tripartite associations. After summarizing the main biological features of mycorrhizas, we illustrate the different types of interaction occurring between mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria, from loosely associated microbes to endobacteria. We then discuss,...

The term “mycorrhiza” was coined by A. B. Frank, a scientist in Germany, more than 100 years ago. It literally means fungus-root, and describes the mutualistic association existing between a group of soil fungi and higher plants. The association is based on the plant component providing carbohydrates and other essential organic compounds to the fungi. In return, the fungal component, which colo...

The invasion success of the leguminous tree Acacia dealbata Link has been related to the release of novel chemical compounds that affect both native plant performance and native soil bacterial communities. However, the allelopathic effect of A. dealbata on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) has not been explored. We used natural leachates from invasive A. dealbata and native soils to assess the...

Atmospheric CO2 is rapidly increasing without an integrative understanding of the responses of soil organisms. We sampled soils in a chaparral ecosystem at 18 intervals over a 3-yr period in replicated field chambers ranging from 250 to 750 ppm CO2 at 100 ppm increments. We assessed three distinct soil energy channels: mycorrhizal fungi, saprotrophic fungi-mite/collembola, and bacteria-protozoa...

Bioremediation of Contaminated Riparian Zones Using Mycorrhizal Fungi – An Exploration of the Feasibility of Restoration Through Mycoremediation

the research aims at studying the effects of mycorrhizal fungi (glomus fasciculatum, g. mosseae and mixed composition) on growth, photosynthesis and nutrient absorption of ziziphus spina-christi in mehran greenhouse, ilam province. the result showed that colonization rate in mixed treatment was more than pure treatment of g. fasciculatum and g. mosseae. also, root fresh weight, stomatal conduct...

Plant interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi have long attracted interest for their potential to promote more efficient use of mineral resources in agriculture. Their use, however, remains limited by a lack of understanding of the processes that determine the outcome of the symbiosis. In this study, the impact of host genotype on growth response to mycorrhizal inoculation was investigat...