Returning to the content I have published on mycorrhizal symbiosis, today I will mention that there is scientific evidence that makes it clear that arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis plays a fundamental role in the functioning and productivity of agricultural systems to the point that, in some taxa of plants of agricultural interest, mycorrhizae are essential for their survival.
▶ There is also strong evidence that the effectiveness of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis depends on both the genotype of the fungus and the host plant, i.e., the response of a particular plant species depends on the associated AMF strain and, similarly, the performance of a given AMF species depends on the plant species.
▶ Credits: Tigerente – [Image of Public Domain]
The functional diversity of the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis involving three host plant species and three AMF species has also been evaluated, finding that the response of the symbiosis, in terms of promoting phosphorus uptake and plant growth, varied significantly according to the plant-AMF combination.
The functional diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis varies not only at the fungal species level (interspecific diversity), but also between different isolates of a single AMF species (intraspecific diversity)..