Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions

Mycorrhizal fungi form intimate partnerships with the roots of most land plants, exchanging soil-derived nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen for plant-produced sugars in a symbiosis that shapes how ecosystems function at scales from a single root tip to global carbon cycles. Understanding which fungal species participate in these networks, how communities assemble across different soils and climates, and what happens when that diversity is disrupted has become central to plant science and ecology alike. Advances in DNA barcoding have made it possible to survey fungal communities with far greater resolution than before, revealing an unexpected richness and geographic structure that researchers are still working to interpret. Open questions remain around how host plant identity, land-use change, and climate shifts alter fungal community composition, and whether losses in mycorrhizal diversity translate directly into measurable declines in plant productivity and soil health.

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Keywords

Mycorrhizal FungiFungal DiversityPlant InteractionsSoil BiotaSymbiotic RelationshipsEcosystem Functioning