Mycorrhiza
Overview
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...

 (generally mutualistic, but occasionally weakly pathogen
Pathogen
A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...

ic) association between a fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...

 and the roots of a vascular plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...

.

In a mycorrhizal association, the fungus colonizes the host plant's roots, either intracellularly as in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are all placed in the phylum Glomeromycota. They form the widespread arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis with land plants . The fungi are obligate symbionts that cannot be cultured without a plant as a 'host'...

 (AMF
AMF
AMF may refer to:* Action Message Format, a protocol for object remoting* Additive Manufacturing File Format, a protocol for 3D printing* Adios Motherfucker, a mix drink with high alcoholic content.* Afghan Militia Force, as designated by various U.S...

), or extracellularly as in ectomycorrhizal fungi. They are an important component of soil life
Soil life
Soil life or soil biota is a collective term for all the organisms living within the soil.-Overview:In balanced soil, plants grow in an active and steady environment. The mineral content of the soil and its heartiful structure are important for their well-being, but it is the life in the earth that...

 and soil chemistry
Soil chemistry
Soil chemistry is the study of the chemical characteristics of soil. Soil chemistry is affected by mineral composition, organic matter and environmental factors.-History:...

.
Mycorrhizas form a mutualistic relationship with the roots of most plant species.
 
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