The York Research Database

The Glomeromycota e the fungi that form arbuscular mycorrhizas e are both abundant,
representing perhaps 10 % or more of soil microbial biomass, and ecologically important,
acting as major conduits in the principal elemental cycles. However, their basic biology
is poorly understood, and the continuing lack of good genome descriptions is a serious
stumbling block. In particular, the mechanism and regulation of transfer of sugars and
mineral nutrients across the symbiotic interface merit further investigation. We extend
a recent model for these transfers to cover nitrogen as well as phosphate, and discuss
the implications of this more general model for the exploitation of arbuscular mycorrhizas
in sustainable agriculture.