Mutualistic fungus

Howard, J. J., J. Cazin Jr., and D. F. Wiemer, Toxicity of terpenoid deterrents to the leafcutting ant Atta cephaloides and its mutualistic fungus, J. Chem. Ecol, 14, 59-69 (1988). 

Richard, F.-J., Poulsen, M., Drijfhout, F., Jones, G. and Boomsma, J. J. (2007). Specificity in chemical profiles of workers, brood and mutualistic fungi in Atta, Acromyrmex, and Sericomyrmex fungus-growing ants. J. Chem. Ecol., 33, 2281-2292. 

Marker , A., Steffan, N., Floss, K., Hellwig, S., Steiner, U. Drewke, C., Li, S.-M., Boland, W. and Leistner, E. (2008) Biosynthesis and accumulation of ergoline alkaloids in a mutualistic association between Ipomoea asarifolia (Gonvolvulaceae) and a Clavicip-italean fungus. Plant Physiol, 147,296-305. 

Many species of fungus grow in a close association with the roots of higher plants, in a mutualistic symbiosis known as a mycorrhiza. The mycorrhizal mutualism is very important to the uutritiou of the plant, because of the greatly enhanced access to uutrieuts that is provided, particularly to phosphate. 

Bultman TL. Mutualistic and parasitic interactions between Phorbia flies and Epichloe convergence between a fungus and entomophilous angiosperms. Can J Bot 73 (suppl 1) S1343-S1348, 1995. 

Plants and fungi often co-operates. The most well known example of such cooperation is the lichens where an algae and a fungus cooperates and build up the lichen body. Most land plants are also dependent on co-operation with plants. The cooperation takes place between the plant roots and the fungus growing out into the soil. In most cases the symbiosis is mutualistic in that both partners gain on the relationship but it is not necessary (as with the orchid mycorrhiza. 

Rhizoctonia solani have been shown to form mycorrhiza with orchids under experimental conditions. Since the relationship between the plant and the fungus is not mutualistic this type of mycorrhiza is not considered further. 

Mikheyev, A.S., Vo, T., Mueller, U.G. (2008). Phylogeography of post-Pleistocene population expansion in a fungus-gardening ant and its microbial mutualists. Molecular Ecology 17, 4480-4488. 

Mycorrhiza Mutualistic relationship between a fungus and a plant (tree or crop) wherein the plant gains access to limited soil nutrients from the fungus and the fungus gains energy from the plant. 

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