Glomeromycota

Glomeromycota is a phylum of fungi whose members form arbuscular mycorrhizal associations with plant roots, exchanging mineral nutrients for plant-derived carbon.

Arbuscular mycorrhiza: A root symbiosis in which fungi exchange mineral nutrients for carbon with plants through arbuscules. This is the defining association formed by Glomeromycota.
Mycorrhiza: A symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant root. Arbuscular mycorrhiza is one major form of this broader root symbiosis.
Mycorrhizal fungi: Fungi that form symbiotic associations with plant roots or root-like tissues. Glomeromycota belong to this broader ecological and evolutionary grouping.
Biofertilizer: A microbial product that improves plant nutrient acquisition or growth when applied to crops. Glomeromycota inoculants are used to promote nutrient uptake in some crops.
Obligate biotrophy: A nutritional dependence in which an organism requires a living host to complete its life cycle. Most Glomeromycota depend on host-derived resources, complicating study outside plants.
Arbuscule: A finely branched fungal structure inside a root cell that provides a large interface for nutrient exchange. Glomeromycota build these structures inside colonized root cells.
Fungus: A eukaryotic organism that absorbs nutrients from its surroundings and has cell walls containing chitin or related compounds. Glomeromycota are classified among fungi despite their distinctive symbiotic lifestyle.
Early land plants: The earliest plants adapted to life on land, appearing during the Paleozoic Era. Their evolution coincided with ancient fungal partnerships that may have aided nutrient acquisition.
Soil phosphorus: The phosphorus present in soil, including forms available and unavailable to plants. Mycorrhizal fungi can help plants acquire phosphorus that roots access poorly.
Monoxenic culture: A laboratory culture containing one organism alongside a defined host or substrate system. Root-organ culture provides controlled study of fungi that resist ordinary culture methods.

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