Resumen

PEREZ-MORENO, Jesús  y  READ, David J.. Los hongos ectomicorrÍzicos, lazos vivientes que conectan y nutren a los árboles en la naturaleza. INCI [online]. 2004, vol.29, n.5, pp.239-247. ISSN 0378-1844.

Currently, mycorrhizal simbioses are established between around 5000 species of fungi and more than 90% of vascular plants. They play an important role, both in functioning and in the structure, of temperate, boreal and tropical ecosystems. This article analyzes, from the ecophysiological point of view, the relevance of one of the most important types of mycorrhizal association, the ectomycorrhiza. The ectomycorrhizal symbiosis is established mainly between woody gymnosperms and angiosperms and Basidiomycetous or Ascomycetous fungi. One of the components of this symbiosis is the external mycelium, which represents one of the most fascinating living structures because, structurally and functionally, it constitutes an interphase between soil and plant components. The main function of this external ectomycorrhizal mycelium is nutrient recycling. Research carried out during the last century has convincingly demonstrated its relevance in this important process. Recently, using more realistic methodological approaches, it has been shown that through this external mycelium, plants have the ability to directly access nutrients from organic sources, otherwise unavailable to them, which include plant, animal and microbial necromass. Another important function, which has modified our ecological perception of plants in natural ecosystems, is the ability of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis to connect trees in nature.

Palabras clave : Bosques; Ecofisiología; Micelio Externo; Nutrientes; Simbiosis Ectomicorrízica.