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Fungi and the food of the gods

Plants protect themselves against attacks by microorganisms in various ways. In some circumstances at least, it turns out that they enlist the help of mutualistic fungi in defence of the home front.

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Figure 1: The cacao tree, Theobroma cacao.

LUIS MEJÍA N. CATTLIN/HOLT STUDIOS INTERNATIONAL 2003

Figure 2: The colonization of leaves by endophytes, and pathogen deterrence.

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Clay, K. Fungi and the food of the gods. Nature 427, 401–402 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/427401a

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