Hello, citizen. Welcome back to Fungi Town! 

This time, we go underground to explore complex relationship between orchids and fungi. Did you know that all orchids depend on underground fungi to grow? In fact, most plants grow better with a fungal partner. But it’s not all smiles and handshakes in this relationship. Find out more as I talk to Melissa McCormick from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center about mycorhizzal fungi.

For a good overview of mycorrhizae, check out this article from Untamed Science.

For a thorough read about orchids, try this entry by Encyclopedia Britannica.

Confused about ecto and endo mycorrhizae? Here’s a great infographic from Plant Science 4U.

Okay, now WTF is an “endophyte?” Yeah, here’s Wikipedia’s entry on the subject.

Special thanks to my guests, Melissa McCormick, as well as Dr. Dorset Trapnell and Patrick Smallwood of UGA’s Plant Biology department.

Fungi Town is written, directed and produced by Jen Parrilli and hosted on Podbean. The new theme music is by the awesome Athens, GA band Shehehe. Defunked theme music is Fminor_Funk_BassGroove_100bpm by GRD-music, Ice Cream Truck Melody, Wind, kisses, and Primary school children playing were cropped and used via Creative Commons license through Freesound.

You can find Fungi Town on Facebook. Twitter, and Instagram: @fungitownpod or email at fungitownpod[at]gmail[dot]com.