Without You I’m Nothing

Fungi live in, on, and all over plants. So, why do plants tolerate them? Well, just as a human body without its microbial symbionts would have trouble doing everything from fighting off colds to making serotonin to digesting spinach, plants need fungi to provide nutrition that they need but don’t make on their own and to help protect them against predators and environmental stressors. Without fungi, most plants would be vulnerable to disease and deprived of optimum nutrition. Without fungi, agricultural plants are less nutritious. So, you could say that without fungi, we are deprived, too.