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Re: fungus



> Tom Barr wrote:
>> I've heard this baloney for some time that says "there are no
>> myhcorrhiza on aquatic plants"
> 
> I find the idea of talking baloney quite disturbing :)

Don't work late nights in a deli.
 
> But seriously....I seem to remember from basic Biology that over 95% of
> *all* vascular plants have mycorrhizae.

That's land plants. Aquatics are known _not_ to have fugal associations(or
very rarely). One reason is that the fungus tends to need aerobic
environments from what I've heard and discussed with a soils ecologist.
Fungus gets carbohydrates and the plant gets minerals.
But the existence of aerhynchyma (to transfer air/O2 to the roots) in
plant's roots may provide adequate aerobic needs for fungus also. When these
fungus die(ie the plant gets stressed and cannot push O2 down there->
photosynthesis declines) bacteria move in and takes it's place. Seems likes
what's happening but still a total plausible guess.
  
> I'd imagine any aquatic plant with
> roots that grow in and draw nutrients from soil, especially the heavy root
> feeders, would have the potential for them.  Nice job of debunking the
> baloney, Tom.  Very interesting stuff.

Not sure if I'd call it debunking. Nothing has been proved except that they
do exist in Bolbitis fern. But it lends itself to a whole bunch of new
questions rather than those dead end roads. And some interesting ideas about
aquatic plants......."the whales" of the plant world.
Regards, 
Tom Barr

> Chuck Huffine