noun
- a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a plant, in which the fungus helps the plant absorb water and nutrients from the soil
Usage: biology, botany; plural: mycorrhizae or mycorrhizas
Examples
- The mycorrhiza allows the plant to access nutrients that would otherwise be unavailable in poor soil.
- Many trees depend on mycorrhizal associations to thrive in forest ecosystems.
- Scientists study mycorrhiza to understand how fungi and plants cooperate underground.
- The fungal partner in a mycorrhiza receives sugars produced by the plant through photosynthesis.
- Mycorrhizal networks can connect multiple plants, allowing them to share resources.