Question

Fun Fact #38: Most plants (as in the majority of them) have a symbiotic (and in a few cases parasitic) relationship with mycorrhizal fungi. This fungi infects the roots of the plant and helps supply it with phosphorus. Now in very very nutrient poor soils, such as those in Western Australia and South Africa (very ancient soil) there is little phosphorus. These mycorrhizal fungi can't even access the phosphorus reserves in the soil here and so many of the plants have adapted to live without the fungi and have developed their own ways to access it.

Answer 1

Their special adaptation is to develop large clusters of very fine roots which exude acids (among other things) to tap into the phosphorus locked in to the soil particles. Cluster roots are especially good at picking up phosphorus because they have a large surface area and they release compounds to help with the mobilisation of phosphorus. All in all they allow a forest of trees to grow in an area where you would expect no more than a grass to survive.

Answer 2

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza and http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/121/2/317.full

Cluster root are really kinda cute (well I think they are!) have a look here: http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/98/4.cover-expansion

Answer 3

i hav studied this in 12th,this mycorrhiza,phosphorous def. etc..
good 2 hear it again:)

Answer 4

clusters r cute:)

Answer 5

Cool :) glad you agree! I was planting kangaroo paw's once, they grow like crazy in pots and they have red/orange roots and when I took them out of the pot you could see the fuzzy little orange things squashed to the side. It was cool XD