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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the tropics the mycorrhizal relationship is most commonly formed with AMF or \u201carbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.\u201d Paleobiology and molecular biology indicate that this relationship was necessary for the evolution of the first vascular land plants. Many of the systems present in the tropics haven\u2019t changed very much over time. These symbioses are ancient. The AM relationship is different from the mycorrhizal relationship seen most commonly in temperate regions, in that it doesn\u2019t produce conspicuous sporocarps (fruiting bodies, or mushrooms.) This means it just exists silently beneath the soil surface, no need for recognition, chugging along and making sure everything runs beautifully!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A well-known tropical plant is the orchid. They\u2019re common house plants everywhere because of their signature flowers and strange fickleness. The tropics are home to thousands of species and Costa Rica has at least 1400 different kinds of orchids. A key to understanding orchid population dynamics may be found in the Orchid Mycorrhizal Fungus (OMF) which populates the roots of almost all orchids. The relationship between the OMF and the orchid is symbiotic – the orchid supplies the fungus with carbon and the OMF provides nutrients to the orchid. Since the plants often live as epiphytes in the branches of trees, nutrients are hard to come by and the OMF gives the orchid a much higher chance of survival. It is now known that the OMF also plays a key role in the germination of orchid seeds, which are dust-like and numerous. Because the tiny seeds can\u2019t hold many nutrients for the germination process, the OMF is crucial especially for early development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the orchid mycorrhizal fungus represents a beautiful symbiosis, on the other end of the spectrum is the genus Cordyceps<\/em>. These nightmarish fungi are known for taking over the bodies of small insects (caterpillars and ants, for instance) and traveling to a tall location such as a shrub or tree branch. Once there, the fungus bursts from the body of the unfortunate insect and fruits, allowing more spores to be dispersed. Some species of Cordyceps<\/em> are highly specialized for one species of insect, which acts as a method of population control. If one species of ant seems to be taking over, the Cordyceps<\/em> may be more likely to infect colonies of that ant, reducing the population and allowing other insects to compete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While terrifying for insects, Cordyceps<\/em> is commonly used by us humans for medicinal benefits. Caterpillars infected with Ophiocordyceps sinensis<\/em> are collected and sold at a high price. The caterpillars have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and are now endangered there due to over-harvesting.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Aren\u2019t fungi neat!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fungi fill essential niches in forest ecosystems, where they cycle nutrients, and maintain soil health and rich webs of species interactions and overall health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[21,53],"class_list":["post-400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biodiversity","category-fungi","tag-biodiversity","tag-symbiosis"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"dead](\"http:\/\/courses.ecology.uga.edu\/tropical-ecology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/07\/bullet-ant-fungus.png\")
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