Mycorrhizal networks: des liaisons dangereuses?

Mycorrhizal associations, by which most land plants receive mineral nutrition, are diffuse and often non-specific. A common mycorrhizal network is formed when fungal mycelia colonize and link together the roots of two or more plants, sometimes of different species. Here, we discuss recent work showing how, under realistic ecological conditions, such networks can affect the physiology and ecology of plants by facilitating interplant nutrient exchange, acting as inoculum reservoirs for seedlings and altering plant competitive abilities. Although mechanisms for their evolutionary emergence remain unclear, investigating mycorrhizal networks profoundly modifies our understanding of plant communities.