Ecology and evolution of multigenomic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

The American Naturalist
Ian R Sanders

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form extremely important mutualistic symbioses with most plants. Their role in nutrient acquisition, plant community structure, plant diversity, and ecosystem productivity and function has been demonstrated in recent years. New findings on the genetics and biology of AMF also give us a new picture of how these fungi exist in ecosystems. In this article, I bring together some recent findings that indicate that AMF have evolved to contain multiple genomes, that they connect plants together by a hyphal network, and that these different genomes may potentially move around in this network. These findings show the need for more intensive studies on AMF population biology and genetics in order to understand how they have evolved with plants, to better understand their ecological role, and for applying AMF in environmental management programs and in agriculture. A number of key features of AMF population biology have been identified for future studies and most of these concern the need to understand drift, selection, and genetic exchange in multigenomic organisms, a task that has not previously presented itself to evolutionary biologists.

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Citations

May 5, 2009·Oecologia·Wim H van der PuttenD A Wardle
Feb 15, 2011·Annual Review of Physiology·William H KarasovEnrique Caviedes-Vidal
Aug 19, 2008·The American Naturalist·Nancy A Moran
Oct 2, 2009·Environmental Entomology·Eric J CalderaCameron R Currie
Nov 25, 2003·Molecular Ecology·C L Schardl, K D Craven
Feb 6, 2008·The New Phytologist·Søren Rosendahl
Mar 6, 2013·Molecular Ecology·Baoming JiNancy Collins Johnson
Oct 30, 2009·The New Phytologist·Hannes A GamperGeorge A Kowalchuk
Jun 8, 2010·The New Phytologist·Jason D Hoeksema
Oct 30, 2007·Fungal Genetics and Biology : FG & B·Hannes A GamperAngela Hodge
Jul 19, 2012·Communicative & Integrative Biology·Nicolas Corradi, Levannia Lildhar
Feb 26, 2004·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Alexander M KochIan R Sanders
Nov 1, 2004·The New Phytologist·Marcel G A Van Der HeijdenAafke Brader

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