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Plant Support
Plant Support
Roots produce many 'exudates' but only the fungi produce a substance called glomalin. This was only discovered in the 1990s, and is reckoned to give fungi the rigidity to span spaces between soil particles. Around 1/4 of all carbon in the soil is in glomalin, which certainly helps soil stability.
The surface layers involve mainly aerobic processes between roots, fungi and springtails
This relationship was probably the first function to evolve between 350-400 mya.
About 90% of all plants have a relation with fungi, called mycorrhiza, There are four different sorts but the main one is 'endomycorrhiza' (or 'Arbuscular') where the fungi grow into the root, and were the first to evolve.
The plant provides the fungus with energy in the form of sugars, while the fungi pass on soil nutrients to the plant. The fungi increase the spread of the roots by up to 10X.
Springtail nibble on the roots, feeding off dead root pieces and dead fungal matter. In the process they accidently pass on the fungal spores helping to distribute them.
Springtail poo consists of a lot of 'Glomalin-related soil protein'
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