MODEL RELEASED. Plant-fungi research. Researcher working with petri dish cultures of plants and the fungi associated with their roots. This research involves arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, an an example of mycorrhizal symbiosis. These fungi are mutualistic symbionts living in the roots of many land plant species. Extensive underground fungal networks connect the roots of different plants and are essential for the uptake of soil nutrients and their transfer to the host plants. Photographed at the University of Pisa, Italy.