Zinc deficiency and toxicity: How they reshape the Laccaria bicolor x Populus symbiosis
Mycorrhizal Networks
Poplar groves planted to clean up zinc-contaminated industrial sites depend on underground fungal partners to survive — and this research reveals those partnerships break down at the very zinc levels the trees were planted to fix.
Poplar trees team up underground with a helpful fungus, trading sugar for water and nutrients. Researchers tested what happens to this partnership when zinc in the soil is either scarce or overwhelming, and found the fungus reshapes the whole relationship — changing how genes work in both the fungus and the tree. This matters because poplars are often planted to clean up polluted land, and now we know their fungal partners are central to whether that cleanup succeeds.
Key Findings
Both zinc deficiency and zinc excess altered the molecular partnership between Laccaria bicolor fungus and Populus trees, but through distinct response pathways in each partner
The mycorrhizal fungus modulated zinc uptake and distribution in poplar roots, acting as a buffer between the tree and soil zinc levels
Gene expression patterns in both the fungus and the tree were reshaped under zinc stress, indicating the symbiosis actively reconfigures itself rather than simply tolerating the conditions
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists studied how too little or too much zinc in the soil changes the partnership between a common soil fungus (Laccaria bicolor) and poplar trees. Both extremes disrupted the symbiosis, but in different ways — suggesting the fungal partner acts as a gatekeeper that shapes how poplar trees handle zinc stress.
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Urban Tree Canopy Reduces Heat-Related Mortality by 39% in European Cities
Trees in your local park or street aren't just pretty — they are literally keeping people alive during heatwaves, and planting even a modest number of the ri...
Populus is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar, aspen, and cottonwood.