The genome size, complexity, and ploidy of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Glomus intraradices was determined using flow cytometry, reassociation kinetics, and genomic reconstruction. Nuclei of G. intraradices from in vitro culture, were analyzed by flow cytometry. The estimated average length of DNA per nucleus was 14.07+/-3.52 Mb. Reassociation kinetics on G. intraradices DNA indicate...

The rate of global deposition of Cd, Pb, and Zn has decreased over the past few decades, but heavy metals already in the soil may be mobilized by local and global changes in soil conditions and exert toxic effects on soil microorganisms. We examined in vitro effects of Cd, Pb, and Zn on critical life stages in metal-sensitive ecotypes of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, including spore germin...

Because of the high genetic variability of the nuclear-encoded ribosomal RNA genes within single spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF, Glomeromycota), new alternative marker genes are needed to better resolve closely related taxa. Based on published nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit (mt-LSU), new fungal-specific primers were constructed and successfully us...

The colonization of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices BEG110 in the soil caused a decrease in disease severity in cucumber plants after fungal inoculation with Colletotrichum orbiculare. In order to illustrate the resistance mechanism mediated by G. intraradices BEG110, infection patterns caused by C. orbiculare in the leaves of cucumber plants and the host cellular responses...

Functional differences between the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Glomus intraradices Schenk and Smith and Scutellospora heterogama Nicolson and Gerdemann as they affect Persea americana Mill. growth, glomalin, and fungal sporulation were examined by varying the composition and relative density of the two fungi over a gradient of available phosphorus (P). The plant benefit provided by these mycor...

The effect of root exudates from non-mycorrhizal and mycorrhizal cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants colonized by one of three arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Gigaspora rosea Nicolson & Schenck, Glomus intraradices Smith & Schenck, or Glomus mosseae (Nicolson & Gerdemann) Gerd. & Trappe) on hyphal growth of Gi. rosea and G. intraradices in axenic culture and on root colonization by G. mosseae in...

Lipids are the major form of carbon storage in arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi. We studied fatty acid synthesis by Glomus intraradices and Gigaspora rosea. [(14)C]Acetate and [(14)C]sucrose were incorporated into a synthetic culture medium to test fatty acid synthetic ability in germinating spores (G. intraradices and G. rosea), mycorrhized carrot roots, and extraradical fungal mycelium (G. intrar...

Plants inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi utilize more soluble phosphorus from soil mineral phosphate than noninoculated plants. However, there is no information on the response of soil microflora to mineral phosphate weathering by AM fungi and, in particular, on the catabolic diversity of soil microbial communities. The AM fungus, Glomus intraradices was examined for (i) its eff...

Glomus intraradices is a widespread arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), which has been found in an extremely broad range of habitats, indicating a high tolerance for environmental factors and a generalist life history strategy. Despite this ecological versatility, not much is known about the genetic diversity of this fungal species across different habitats or over large geographic scales. A n...