Track and trace: how soil labelling techniques have revealed the secrets of resource transport in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi colonise plant roots, and by doing so forge the ‘mycorrhizal uptake pathway(s)’ (MUP) that provide passageways for the trade of resources across a specialised membrane at the plant–fungus interface. The transport of nutrients such as phosphorus (P), nitrogen and zinc from the fungus, and carbon from the plant, via the MUP have mostly been quantified using stable or radioactive isotope labelling of soil in a specialised hyphae-only compartment. Recent advances in the study of AM fungi have used tracing studies to better understand how the AM association will function in a changing climate, the extent to which the MUP can contribute to P uptake by important crops, and how AM fungi trade resources in interaction with plants, other AM fungi, and friend and foe in the soil microbiome. The existing work together with well-designed future experiments will provide a valuable assessment of the potential for AM fungi to play a role in the sustainability of managed and natural systems in a changing climate.

Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Regulating Growth, Enhancing Productivity, and Potentially Influencing Ecosystems under Abiotic and Biotic Stresses

“…Therefore, utilizing AMF is energized in horticulture. Taking advantage of Mycorrhiza parasites is not generally simple since it is still impossible to produce a lot of AMF on a large scale in the field [202]. Aside from the results of compost utility on arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi, different techniques such as yield pivot, negligible development, monoculture, culturing, regular changes, and alertness of biocides impact the AMF [203].…”