Editing Mycelium (section)

== Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AR) ==
[[File:Arbuscular Mycorrhizal.png|thumb|AR transportome types<ref name=":0">Ferrol, Nuria. (2020). Membrane Transporters, an Overview of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Transportome. 10.1016/B978-0-12-819990-9.00021-4. </ref>]]

=== What is AR? ===
<blockquote>The most ancient and widespread fungal plant symbionts (Smith and Read, 2008). AM fungi are obligate biotrophs that enhance host plant nutrient acquisition in exchange for carbon compounds.<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>

=== Why AR? ===
<blockquote>The main benefit for the plant is an improved mineral nutrition, especially of phosphorus, nitrogen, zinc and copper. The fungus develops in the soil an extensive network of extraradical hyphae that overgrows the soil surrounding the plant roots and functions as an additional absorptive surface area for the plant increasing its capacity to forage nutrients beyond their depletion zone. In return, the plant provides to the fungus the carbon compounds, either in the form of carbohydrates or lipids, required to complete its life cycle. This nutrient exchange between partners occurs in the arbuscules, specialized and highly branched structures formed by the fungus in the root cortical cells.<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>