A micrograph of roots colonized with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (stained blue). Mycorrhizas are classic examples of biological markets—the plant trades sugars for soil minerals.A closer look at microbes reveals there is big business going on in their very small world, and sometimes we are part of the transaction.

An international team of researchers, including Northern Arizona Univ. scientist Nancy Collins Johnson, argue in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that microbes, like many animals, can evolve into savvy traders, selling high and buying low.


Yet all organisms, including humans, cooperate with beneficial microbes. “For example, our gut bacteria give us vitamins and nutrients, and are crucial to our well-being,” Johnson said.



Evolution of Microbial Markets

Source: Northern Arizona Univ.