All in one picture we can see the life cycle of #arbuscular #mycorrhizal #fungi (AMF): from the initiation of the relationship where the fungi begins to pump phosphorus into the space between the cell wall and membrane (it looks like a glowing green outline), and then to where it really begins pumping (the blurring glow - it'll make it so in patches it'll be impossible to even see the cell wall edges once it's fully inoculated - I can turn the brightness to ZERO on my 4k camera, and it'll still glow brightly, and the final senescence stage after the hyphae has extended fully and released spores, where the hyphae has turned reddish brown or even dark brown, we can see that center of the image. It even has a reddish brown opaque layer over the cell and a darker outline. That actually constitutes fungal lipids that can be reabsorbed by the plant in times of stress OR it will remain and connect with a root perhaps next spring that will reanimate the mycorrhizal fungi, and the cycle will start all over. 

Remember what the highest pinnacle of the Plant Health Pyramid by John Kempf contained? It was plant secondary metabolites and LIPIDS. They are a pinnacle expression of plant health and a long lasting form of energy storage and structure in the soil. The sugars plants give to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi become an "investment" they can rely upon in a crisis or pass on to their "children", because who is most likely to inherit the soil of a successful plant? Well, of course, it's own seed.

This is an image from Regenerative Soil Microscopy - Get Your Copy On-Sale & w/Free US Shipping Today:
#arbuscular #mycorrhizal #fungi