mycorrhizal fungi can provide up to 80 per cent of a plant’s nitrogen, and as much as 100 per cent of its phosphorus. Fungi supply other crucial nutrients to plants, such as zinc and copper. They also provide plants with water, and help them to survive drought as they’ve done since the earliest days of life on land. In return, plants allocate up to 30 per cent of the carbon they harvest to their mycorrhizal partners. Exactly what is taking place between a plant and a mycorrhizal fungus at any given moment depends on who’s involved. There are many ways to be a plant, and many ways to be a
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