mycoheterotrophy
Mycoheterotrophy is a parasitic nutritional strategy in which certain plants obtain all or part of their carbon and nutrients by exploiting mycorrhizal fungi rather than through photosynthesis. Unlike typical mycorrhizal relationships where both plant and fungus benefit, mycoheterotrophic plants effectively cheat the network, drawing resources without reciprocating. This phenomenon challenges conventional models of plant metabolism and sheds light on the evolutionary pathways through which plants can abandon photosynthesis entirely.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-29
Researchers used stable isotope analysis of phenylalanine — a specific amino acid — to detect how much carbon green plants secretly steal from their fungal partners underground. Standard bulk isotope methods weren't sensitive enough to catch this theft in orchids and arbuscular mycorrhizal plants, but tracking phenylalanine revealed hidden fungal-derived nutrition that was previously invisible.
Bulk stable isotope analysis is insufficient to detect fungal-derived carbon acquisition in arbuscular mycorrhizal plants and rhizoctonia-associated orchids
Compound-specific isotope analysis of phenylalanine provides higher resolution detection of fungal carbon transfer to green plants
Partial mycoheterotrophy (fungal carbon theft) may be more widespread among green plants than previously measurable with standard methods
