symbiosis – Page 3

Integration of fungal transcriptomics and metabolomics provides insights into the early interaction between the ORM fungus Tulasnella sp. and the orchid Serapias vomeracea seeds

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This research explores how orchid fungi recognize and respond to orchid seeds before even touching them. Scientists used advanced molecular techniques to track changes in fungal genes and chemical compounds during the early stages of this symbiotic partnership. The findings show that the fungus actively prepares itself to penetrate the seed’s protective barriers, producing special enzymes and metabolites that facilitate this critical interaction for orchid survival.

Cellular anatomy of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are special underground fungi that form partnerships with plant roots to help plants grow. Unlike most cells, these fungi form long, tube-like structures without walls dividing them into sections, allowing nutrients and other materials to flow freely throughout their networks. This review explains how these fungi are built at the cellular level, including their walls, membranes, and internal structures, helping scientists better understand how they exchange nutrients with plants and contribute to healthy ecosystems.

Exploring Fungal Communication Mechanisms in the Rhizosphere Microbiome for a Sustainable Green Agriculture

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Fungi in soil communicate with each other and plants through chemical signals, forming protective layers called biofilms that help them cooperate and survive. These fungal communication networks can be either beneficial, helping plants grow and fight diseases, or harmful, causing crop infections and producing toxins. By better understanding how fungi talk to each other, scientists can develop natural ways to improve agriculture and clean up polluted soils without using harmful chemicals.

Microbes as Teachers: Rethinking Knowledge in the Anthropocene

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This paper argues that microbes should be viewed as teachers offering crucial wisdom about how to solve today’s environmental crises. Rather than seeing microbes as passive subjects to be studied, the author proposes recognizing them as intelligent, collaborative partners that have successfully managed Earth’s systems for billions of years. The paper provides practical suggestions for changing education, policy, and how we design cities and agriculture to work with microbial processes rather than against them.

Plant–Fungi Mutualism, Alternative Splicing, and Defense Responses: Balancing Symbiosis and Immunity

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Fungi and plants form partnerships that help plants grow better and resist stress, with fungi receiving sugars from plants in return for nutrients from the soil. This review explains how a cellular process called alternative splicing acts like a molecular switch that lets plants accept beneficial fungi while keeping the ability to fight off harmful pathogens. Understanding this balance could help farmers grow healthier crops with less chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Metagenomics and In Vitro Growth-Promoting Experiments Revealed the Potential Roles of Mycorrhizal Fungus Humicolopsis cephalosporioides and Helper Bacteria in Cheilotheca humilis Growth

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Scientists studied a rare white plant called Cheilotheca humilis that cannot make its own food through photosynthesis and instead relies on fungi to survive. Using advanced DNA sequencing and laboratory experiments, they discovered that a special fungus called Humicolopsis cephalosporioides and several types of helpful bacteria work together to provide the plant with essential carbon and nutrients. This research reveals how these invisible microbial partners make it possible for this unusual plant to grow and thrive.

Isolation, (bio)synthetic studies and evaluation of antimicrobial properties of drimenol-type sesquiterpenes of Termitomyces fungi

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Termite colonies farm a fungus called Termitomyces for food in an ancient partnership. Scientists discovered that the mushrooms produced by this fungus release distinctive chemical signals, particularly a compound called drimenol. By isolating and synthesizing these compounds, researchers found they have antimicrobial properties and may play a role in communicating between termites and their fungal crop or protecting mushrooms from infection.

Weaving birth: interdependence and the fungal turn

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This article explores how childbirth can be understood through the metaphor of fungal networks, which emphasize connection and interdependence rather than isolation and control. The authors compare two contrasting birth experiences—one marked by feelings of abandonment and the need to defend oneself, the other by trust and surrender—to show how different care models shape birthing experiences. Like fungi that thrive through interconnected relationships, positive births flourish in environments of love, safety, and collective support rather than standardized medical protocols.

Iron acquisition in the mutualistic fungus Penicillium herquei: implications of mineral elements in insect-fungus symbiosis

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A fungus that lives with beetles has evolved special abilities to collect and store iron, which it shares with its insect partner. Researchers found that this mutualistic fungus produces much higher levels of iron than the plant leaves the beetles would normally eat. The fungus uses special proteins and iron-grabbing molecules to accumulate this essential nutrient, providing a nutritional advantage to the beetle and strengthening their partnership.

Novel epiphytic root-fungus symbiosis in the Indo-Pacific seagrass Thalassodendron ciliatum from the Red Sea

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Scientists discovered a new partnership between seagrass roots and fungi in the Red Sea. Unlike similar relationships found in Mediterranean seagrass, this symbiosis involves fungi that coat the root surface without growing inside. The fungi’s dark pigments may help preserve organic material in seabed sediments, potentially contributing to carbon storage in marine ecosystems.

Research Keyword: symbiosis