| Gigaspora margarita | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Glomeromycota |
| Class: | Glomeromycetes |
| Order: | Diversisporales |
| Family: | Gigasporaceae |
| Genus: | Gigaspora |
| Species: | G. margarita
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gigaspora margarita (W.N.) Becker & (I.R.) Hall 1976
| |
Gigaspora margarita is an Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) which means it is an obligate symbiont that creates mutualistic relationships with many different plant species. Being an AMF, G. margarita does not produce a fruiting body. All of its mycelium will be found in the soil, associating with plant roots. Though hard to distinguish between different species of AMF, microscopic distinctions can be made. A prominent morphological distinction for species in the Gigasporaceae family is their large sized spores. Gigaspora margarita is characterized by its large, white, pearl-like spores found anywhere from 260 - 400 micrometers.[1] This is where it gets its name as margarita in Latin means pearl.
Associating with many plants, Gigaspora margarita has been found in diverse regions across the globe. In culture, G. margarita has been found to associate with onion, tomato, soy beans, corn, and clover although this list is probably a lot longer.[2] Furthermore, G. margarita also associates with endobacteria making it a metaorganism that serves as a connection of three different kingdoms (plant, bacteria, fungus). Strains of G. margarita isolated without the endobacteria are possible indicating an asymmetric association between the fungi and the endobacteria. However these, ‘cured’ strains of G. margarita do not interact with its associated plants as well as strains with the endobacteria.[3]
- ^ "Gigaspora margarita". The International Collection of (Vesicular) Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Koske, R. E.; Walker, Christopher (September 1985). "Species of Gigaspora (Endogonaceae) with Roughened Outer Walls". Mycologia. 77 (5): 702. doi:10.2307/3793280. ISSN 0027-5514. JSTOR 3793280.
- ^ Venice, Francesco; Chialva, Matteo; Domingo, Guido; Novero, Mara; Carpentieri, Andrea; Salvioli di Fossalunga, Alessandra; Ghignone, Stefano; Amoresano, Angela; Vannini, Candida; Lanfranco, Luisa; Bonfante, Paola (December 2021). "Symbiotic responses of Lotus japonicus to two isogenic lines of a mycorrhizal fungus differing in the presence/absence of an endobacterium". The Plant Journal. 108 (6): 1547–1564. doi:10.1111/tpj.15578. ISSN 0960-7412. PMC 9300078. PMID 34767660.