Many examples of endosymbiotic relationships between bacteria and plants, algae and insects exist and have been well characterized, however fungal-bacteria endosymbiosis has been less well described.
Fungal-bacterial endosymbiosis represents a diverse range of endosymbionts and hosts with respect to the initiation of the association and the benefits provided by and for each partner.
A similar pattern is seen with the fungal partners with examples occurring across broad phyla/divisions such as Glomeromycota, Zygomycota, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.
This is a feature common in all fungal-bacterial symbiosis suggesting that internalization of the bacteria via phagocytosis is the main method of incorporation.
The interaction between N. punctiforme and G. pyriforme is an example of a cyclical association which forms at a certain point in their separate life cycles.
N. punctiforme forms masses of filaments which gather in the dimmer underground soil while G. pyriforme grows lateral vegetative hyphae occupying the same area.
The endosymbiotic relationship is formed when G. pyriforme engulf and internalize N. punctiforme in their growing hyphae in specialized compartments.
G. sporarum, as a factor that may contribute the beneficial nature of AM fungi to plants, we may overlook what makes widespread agricultural application possible.
On the other side of the spectrum are the fungi that cause disease in agricultural crops leading to huge loses, such as R. microsporus which causes blight in rice seedlings.
We can see that fungal-bacterial endosymbiosis significantly impacts the global concern of food production and we can think of the deeper understanding of these relationships as being the solution to these problems.