Draw a change under the ground
General ecology · mycorrhizae
Roots have partners
In mycorrhizae, plant and fungus establish a partnership. The plant provides organic compounds; the mycelium associated with the roots helps to obtain water and nutrients. Oaks, chestnut trees and pine trees can participate in these relationships. A nearby tree gives context to observation, but does not itself reveal the name of a mushroom. The researcher Susana Gonçalves also distinguishes ectomycorrhizae: in these associations, the fungus involves the ends of the roots. The example helps to realize that there are different forms of relationship between plants and fungi, beyond the visible appearance of mushrooms. The partnership expands the area from which the plant can obtain resources: the roots are linked to the network of the fungus. But the relationship doesn't always have the same participants. There are fungi able to associate with several plants and others with very specific partners. This is why knowing the trees of a place helps to understand the environment, without replacing the identification of the fungus.
Vamos experimentar?
- Draws a plant with roots and a network of hyphae next to them.
- Draw an arrow from the plant to the fungus, with the legend organic compounds.
- Draw another in the direction of the plant, with water and nutrients; compare the scheme with the photographs, which show only the mushrooms.
General representation of a mycorriza, without stating which partnership is present in the local photographs.
Open a história e os seus recursos →Sources of this proposal
- Silvestrian Resource Competence Centre — General MycologyConsultation/revision: 2026-11-08
- Gulbenkian Garden — ecology of fungi, with Susana Gonçalves (17/04/2023)Consultation/revision: 2026-11-07
My findings
An idea, a drawing or a question to go on.