Fungal highways to water: Mechanisms of drought tolerance in arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal symbioses.
Musella P, Declerck S, Ponette Q, Lalaymia I
Mycorrhizal Networks
Every tree in your yard is almost certainly plugged into a fungal web right now, and that web is what keeps it alive when summer turns brutal and dry.
Plants team up with underground fungi that extend far beyond the roots, acting like extra pipes that pull water from deeper, drier soil. These fungal partners don't just deliver water — they also help plants regulate their own water use, build stronger root systems, and chemically cope with drought stress. Scientists are trying to understand exactly how much of a difference this partnership makes, so we can help forests and farms survive increasingly dry conditions.
Key Findings
Two distinct types of mycorrhizal fungi (arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal) enhance drought tolerance through different structural interfaces inside the root — arbuscules versus a Hartig net — each influencing water movement differently.
Fungal hyphal networks improve plant water status through both direct hydraulic pathways (physical water transport and soil moisture redistribution) and indirect biological effects (aquaporin regulation, osmotic adjustment, antioxidant production, and hormone signaling).
Despite strong evidence that mycorrhizal fungi improve plant survival under water deficit, the precise quantitative contribution to plant water transport remains unresolved, especially in ectomycorrhizal-dominated forest systems.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Fungi that form partnerships with plant roots act as extended water-gathering networks during droughts, and this review explains the specific mechanisms behind that water-sharing — from physical pipelines in the soil to chemical signals inside the plant.
Abstract Preview
Drought is an increasingly important constraint on plant productivity, affecting agricultural yields, forest dynamics, and ecosystem functioning worldwide. Mycorrhizal symbioses formed by arbuscula...
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