arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)

Fungi from the Glomeromycota lineage whose hyphae enter the root
cells of their host plants. Also called endomycorrhizal fungi.

ascus

(plural: asci) Specialized spore-producing cell found at the ends of
hyphae in "sac fungi" (Ascomycota).

basidium

(plural: basidia) Specialized spore- producing cell at the ends of
hyphae in club fungi, members of the Basidiomycota.

coenocytic

Containing many nuclei and a continuous cytoplasm through a
filamentous body, without the body being divided into distinct cells.
Some fungi are coenocytic.

commensalism

(adjective: commensal) A symbiotic relationship in which one organism
(the commensal) benefits and the other (the host) is not harmed.
Compare with mutualismand parasitism.

dikaryotic

Describing a cell or fungal mycelium having two haploid nuclei that
are genetically distinct.

ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF)

Fungi whose hyphae form a dense network that covers their host
plant's roots but do not enter the root cells.

glomalin

A glycoprotein that is abundant in the hyphae of arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi; when hyphae decay, it is an important component of soil.

heterokaryotic

Describing a cell or fungal mycelium containing two or more haploid
nuclei that are genetically distinct.

polytomy

A node in a phylogenetic tree that depicts an ancestral branch
dividing into three or more descendant branches; usually indicates
that insufficient data were available to resolve which taxa are more
closely related.