The central structure of the symbiotic association between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is the fungal arbuscule that delivers minerals to the plant. Our earlier transcriptome analyses identified two half-size ABCG transporters that displayed enhanced mRNA levels in mycorrhizal roots. We now show specific transcript accumulation in arbusculated cells of both genes during symbiosi...

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...

The population ecology of clonal plants depends on the number and distribution of ramets formed during growth. Variation in clonal reproduction has previously been explained by variation in effects of abiotic resource heterogeneity and by plant genotypic variation. Different co-occurring species of the mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been shown to differentially alter growth...

Mycorrhizae are nearly ubiquitous symbioses formed between plants and fungi. Plants provide fungi with carbon captured through photosynthesis, while fungi provide plants with soil resources. Historically, research has focused on the effects of mycorrhizae on nutrient uptake and the fitness of individual plants. More recently, there has been a growing appreciation for the importance of mycorrhiz...

Microorganisms could play an important role in adaptation strategies and increase of tolerance to abiotic stresses in agricultural plants. Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) mitigate most effectively the impact of abiotic stresses (drought, low temperature, salinity, metal toxicity, and high temperatures) on plants through the production of exopolysaccharates and biofilm formation. PGP...

A considerable amount of phenotypic, genetic and symbiotic functional variability has been documented in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, little is known about whether distinct AMF ecotypes have evolved within their geographic range. We tested the hypothesis that AMF growing at temperatures closer to those prevalent within their origin would benefit their host and grow more than iso...

Effects of the mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices on establishment of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) seedlings in saline conditions were studied in a glasshouse experiment. Growth and nutrient uptake were determined 10, 20 and 30 days after transplanting of mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal matched seedlings into soils with five different levels of salinity. Mycorrhizal plants...

The symbiotic association between certain plants and microorganisms plays an important role in soil fertilization, and improves their growth and mineral nutrition. Microorganisms implicated in this symbiotic interaction are from two groups: bacteria and fungi. The bacteria group is implicated on nitrogen fixation (for review see Pawlowski and Bisseling, 1996), while the fungal group is involved...

This review highlights the key role that mycorrhizal fungi play in making phosphorus (Pi) more available to plants, including pathways of absorption, phosphate transporters and plant-mycorrhizal fungus symbiosis, especially conditions where level inorganic soil is low. Mycorrhizal colonization involves a series signaling plant root exudates strigolactones, while release mixture chito-oligosacch...

Myco-heterotrophy is one of the longest-studied aspects of the mycorrhizal symbiosis, but there remain many critical, unanswered questions regarding the ecology and physiology of myco-heterotrophic plants and their associated fungi. The vast majority of all myco-heterotrophs studied to date have exhibited specificity towards narrow lineages of fungi, but it is unclear whether the loss of photos...