MycoRant

A recent paper appearing in the American Journal of Botany reports that mycorrhizae are more prevalent in the roots of female individuals of the grass the Distichlis spicata than in the roots of male plants. According to Sex-specific variation in the interaction between Distichlis spicata (Poaceae) and mycorrhizal fungi by researchers at Portland State University:

Associations between mycorrhizal fungi and plants can influence intraspecific competition and shape plant population structure. While variation in plant genotypes is known to affect mycorrhizal colonization in crop systems, little is known about how genotypes affect colonization in natural plant populations or how plant sex might influence colonization with mycorrhizal fungi in plant species with dimorphic sexual systems. In this study, we analyzed mycorrhizal colonization in males and females of the wetland dioecious grass Distichlis spicata, which has spatially segregated sexes. Our results suggest that D. spicata males and females interact with mycorrhizal fungi differently. We discuss the implications for the role of this sex-specific symbiotic interaction in the maintenance of the within-population sex ratio bias of D. spicata.

You can read the full text of the article online or get the  popular science version from one of these links below.

In The War Between The Sexes, The One With The Closest Fungal Relationship Wins

Female plants were more likely to be colonized by the mycorrhizal fungi than male plants

Tags: Distichlis, females, grass, Mycorrhizae, VAM