Most land plants grow in association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in their roots and these fungi can cause transgenerational effects on plants' offspring. These may be caused by changes in DNA methylation of the offspring. In this study, we compared the amount of global DNA methylation in seeds of the gynodioecious plant Geranium sylvaticum in relation to the gender and the AMF statu...

Wooded meadows are seminatural plant communities that support high diversity of various taxa. Due to changes in land use, wooded meadows have severely declined during the last century. The dominant trees in wooded meadows acquire mineral nutrients via ectomycorrhizal fungi. Using anatomotyping and sequencing of root tips, interpolation and extrapolation methods, we studied the diversity and com...

The phylogenetic placement of the monotypic dematiaceous hyphomycete genus Xanthoriicola was investigated. Sequences of the nLSU region were obtained from 11 specimens of X. physciae, which formed a single clade supported both by parsimony (91 %), and maximum likelihood (100 %) bootstraps, and Bayesian Posterior Probabilities (1.0). The closest relatives in the parsimony analysis were species o...

Since 1869 when RAULIN reported that Aspergilluts niger excreted some growth-promoting substances into its medium, a number of investigators have studied the phenomenon of auxithal synthesis by fungi. For a comprehensive review of this the reader is referred to FRIES (2) and SCHLENKER (7). The writers (5) have referred briefly to this subject; the present paper reports a more exhaustive study. ...

Several fungi including six species of the genus Rhizopogon, 22 species of Hebeloma and one of Agaricus have been screened for production of cytokinins. The screening was done by culturing cytokinin-requiring soybean callus tissue alongside the fungus on a medium lacking a cytokinin supply. Growth of the soybean callus indicated production of cytokinins by the fungus. Of the fungi tested, only ...

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,...

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) constitute a group of root obligate biotrophs that exchange mutual benefits with about 80% of plants. They are considered natural biofertilizers, since they provide the host with water, nutrients, and pathogen protection, in exchange for photosynthetic products. Thus, AMF are primary biotic soil components which, when missing or impoverished, can lead to a les...

Revegetation strategies, either for reclamation or for rehabilitation, are being used to recover desertified ecosystems. Woody legumes are recognized as species that are useful for revegetation of water-deficient, low-nutrient environments because of their ability to form symbiotic associations with rhizobial bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi, which improve nutrient acquisition and help plants to ...

The fungus-growing ant-microbe mutualism is a classic example of organismal complexity generated through symbiotic association. The ants have an ancient obligate mutualism with fungi they cultivate for food. The success of the mutualism is threatened by specialized fungal parasites (Escovopsis) that consume the cultivated fungus. To defend their nutrient-rich garden against infection, the ants ...