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The largest single organism on Planet Earth is a mycorrhiza found below a forest in Oregon, western USA. Pronounced “ my.co.ri.za ”. Some statistics … the organism’s mass is 3.6 million kg spread over 8.9 km 2 and it is 2,400 years old. mycorrhiza.
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The largest single organism on Planet Earth is a mycorrhizafoundbelow a forest in Oregon, western USA. Pronounced “my.co.ri.za” Some statistics …the organism’s mass is 3.6 million kg spread over 8.9 km2and it is 2,400 years old.
mycorrhiza A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a plant. 95% of all plant families are predominantly mycorrhizal. Plants depend on mycorrhiza for their existence. Animals depend on plants for their existence.
mycorrhiza This mutualistic association provides the mycorrhizalfungus with carbohydrates, such as glucose and sucrose, produced by the plant in photosynthesis.
mycorrhiza In return, the plant gains the use of the fungus’s very large surface area to absorb water and mineral nutrients (most importantly phosphates), thus improving the mineral absorption capabilities of the plant roots.
mycorrhizal fibres: In one thimbleful of soil surrounding one root tip there can be 3 miles of mycorrhizal filaments.
mycorrhizal fibres: There are Avogadro’s number (6.02 x 1023) cm of mycorrhizal fibres on Planet Earth … … enough to reach half way to the centre of our galaxy.
mycorrhizal fibres: Plant roots alone are incapable of taking up phosphate ions that are immobilized, for example, in soils with a basic pH. Plants cannot grow without phosphates. However, the mycorrhizal fungus can access these phosphorus sources, and make them available to the plants they colonise. The mechanisms of increased nutrient absorption are both physical and chemical. Mycorrhizal fibres are much smaller in diameter than the smallest root, and so can explore a greater volume of soil which provides a larger surface area for absorption.
