Mycorrhizal Fungi

Mycorrhizal Fungi are fungi that live symbiotically with plants in the root zone (rhizosphere). Together, they are a heterogenisu group of soil fungi and they colonize the roots of some 240,000 plant species in nearly all terrestrial ecosystems.


 * "Mycorrhizal symbiosis, a mutualistic plant-fungus association, is an essential feature of the biology and ecology of most terrestrial plants; thanks to nutrient exchanges, the plant receives mineral nutrients and improves its vegetative growth, whereas the fungus obtains carbohydrates and accomplishes its life cycle."

Related Sourcewatch

 * Soil Life
 * Synthetic Fertilizer
 * Prokaryotes
 * Plant Root Exudates

External Resources

 * Janice S. Snow, Misunderstanding Soil Ecosystems: How flawed conceptions of soil have lead to flawed U. S. land, water and climate policies, Masters Thesis, Tufts University, November 2009.
 * R. Larry Peterson, Hugues B. Massicotte and Lewis H. Melville, Mycorrhizas: Anatomy and Cell Biology (Ottawa: NRC Research Press, National Research Council of Canada, 2004).
 * Melissa J. Brimecombe, Frans A De Leij and James M. Lynch "Effect of Roots Exudates on Rhizosphere Microbial Populations," in The Rhizosphere: Biochemistry and Organic Substances at the Soil-Plant Interface., ed. Pinton, Roberto, Zeno Varanini, and Paolo Nannipieri (New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc, 2001).
 * Franci Martin, Silvi Perotto and Paola Bonfante, "Mycorrhizal Fungi: A Fungal Community at the Interface between Soil and Roots," in The Rhizosphere: Biochemistry and Organic Substances at the Soil-Plant Interface, ed. Pinton, Roberto, Zeno Varanini, and Paolo Nannipieri (New York: 2001).