In addition to their well-recognized roles in plant nutrition and communities, mycorrhizas can influence the key ecosystem process of soil aggregation. Here we review the contribution of mycorrhizas, mostly focused on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), to soil structure at various hierarchical levels: plant community; individual root; and the soil mycelium. There are a suite of mechanisms by w...

Most organisms engage in beneficial interactions with other species; however, little is known regarding how individuals balance the competing demands of multiple mutualisms. Here we examine three-way interactions among a widespread grass, Schedonorus phoenix, a protective fungal endophyte aboveground, Neotyphodium coenophialum, and nutritional symbionts (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) belowgroun...

Mycorrhizal association is a common characteristic in a majority of land plants, and the survival and distribution of a species can depend on the distribution of suitable fungi in its habitat. Orchidaceae is one of the most species-rich angiosperm families, and all orchids are fully dependent on fungi for their seed germination and some also for subsequent growth and survival. Given this obliga...

Mycorrhizal enhancement of drought resistance of two woody plant species, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and rose (Rosa hybrida L. cv. Ferdy), occurred independently of phosphorus nutrition. Mycorrhizae tended to alter root morphology and carbon allocation patterns of shoots and roots. Increased drought resistance of mycorrhizal plants was in part attributed to drought-induced colonization by m...

Mycorrhizal associations, by which most land plants receive mineral nutrition, are diffuse and often non-specific. A common mycorrhizal network is formed when fungal mycelia colonize and link together the roots of two or more plants, sometimes of different species. Here, we discuss recent work showing how, under realistic ecological conditions, such networks can affect the physiology and ecolog...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), a special microorganism can connect soil and a plant directly, plays an important role in environmental remediation [1]. When the plant is in the heavy metal adversity, mycorrhizal association can enhance the resistance to the metals of plants [2]. Chen et al. [3], reported Cu uptake by four kind of mycorrhizal plants including two native plant species, Coreo...

The use and manipulation of the mycorrhizal symbiosis has enormous potential benefits in tree nurseries and in artificial regeneration programmes. This paper discusses the role of a mycorrhizal inoculation programme in reforestation. Included in this discussion are type of inoculation and response of the host to inoculation. The direct impact of a mycorrhizal inoculation programme will depend u...

Legumes form symbiotic associations with both mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria called rhizobia. Several of the plant genes required for transduction of rhizobial signals, the Nod factors, are also necessary for mycorrhizal symbiosis. Here, we describe the cloning and characterization of one such gene from the legume Medicago truncatula. The DMI1 (does not make infections) gen...

this study investigated the influence of inoculation with an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (amf), glomus mosseae (nicol & gerd.) on growth and antioxidant enzyme activities (sod, cat, gupx) in shoots and roots of wheat (triticum aestivum l.) affected by three different levels of salt stress. the experiment was arranged as a factorial in randomized complete block design (rcbd) with three replicat...

BACKGROUND Orchid species rely on mycorrhizal symbioses with fungi to complete their life cycle. Although there is mounting evidence that orchids can associate with several fungi from different clades or families, less is known about the actual geographic distribution of these fungi and how they are distributed across different orchid species within a genus. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We ...