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There is an increasing awareness among ecologists and mycorrhizologists that mycorrhizal fungi are an integral part of ecosystems and that, therefore, their ecological function needs to be understood. Recently, many breakthroughs have pointed to this. It has, for instance, been shown that mycorrhizal fungi contribute to plant diversity, nutrient cycling, acquisition to nutrient sources previously thought not to be available to plants and finally to ecosystem functioning. Moreover, because of their abundance and potential ecological function at the community and ecosystem levels, mycorrhizal fungi could well contribute to community and ecosystem responses to global changes. Also, based on the effects of the symbiosis on plant fitness, the population ecology, dynamics and evolution of many plants, are unlikely to be fully understood without considering their fungal symbionts, although this area has sadly …