An Example of a Mutualistic Association Between a Plant and a Fungus

Question

An example of a mutualistic association between a plant and a fungus would be
A) nitrogen fixation.
B) Rhizobium infection.
C) mycorrhizae.
D) parasitic infection.
E) assisted pollination.

Accepted Answer

Mycorrhizae is a mutualistic association between the roots of a plant and fungi. The fungi provide the plant with nutrients, especially phosphorus, while the plant provides the fungi with carbohydrates produced from photosynthesis. Nitrogen fixation and Rhizobium infection both involve bacteria, not fungi, while parasitic infection is not mutualistic. Assisted pollination is a mutualistic association between a plant and a pollinator, not a fungus.