Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log In/Create Account
  • BioInteractive Resources
  • Planning Tools
  • Professional Development
  • About Us

Can a Fungus Save Plants from Global Warming?

Topic

  • Microbiology
  • Archaea & Eukaryotes
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Plant Anatomy & Physiology
  • Environmental Science
  • Climate Change

Resource Type

  • Videos
  • Animated Shorts

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege

Duration

00:08:02
Saved By
19 Users
Share This

Description

This short video explores how the symbiotic relationship between certain plants and fungi allows these organisms to survive in very hot temperatures.

Just like animals and humans, plants have their own microbiomes, which help the plants stay healthy and provide them with nutrients. Some of these microbiomes include symbiotic fungi that can help certain plants deal with tremendous environmental stress, including heat stress. One of these plant species is a type of grass that lives around the geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. A microscopic fungus called Curvularia protuberata that lives inside the grass helps it survive the extreme temperatures in its environment. Scientists are studying how fungi like this might be used to help alleviate the impacts of climate change on food crops.

This video is part of the series I Contain Multitudes, hosted by science journalist Ed Yong.

Key Terms

adaptation, agriculture, endophyte, heat stress, heat tolerance, obligate mutualism, panic grass, symbiosis

Primary Literature

Redman, Regina S., Kathy B. Sheehan, Richard G. Stout, Russell J. Rodriguez, and Joan M. Henson. “Thermotolerance Generated by Plant/Fungal Symbiosis.” Science 298, 5598 (2002): 1581. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/298/5598/1581.


To access this article, set up a free AAAS account.

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria. Video files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 03.23.18
Date Updated 03.23.18

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS2.B, HS-ESS3.D

AP Biology (2019)

EVO-1, EVO-3

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 1.1, 2.4, 9.5
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-1.A, ERT-2.F, STB-4.F

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

7.3

Vision and Change (2009)

CC5

Materials

Transcript (PDF) 321 KB

Use This Resource With

Interactive Media Resource
Interactive Video Builder

Related Science News

Fungi Live Large at the Poles
Best way to fight climate change? Plant a trillion trees

Explore Related Content

Other Resources About I Contain Multitudes

Showing of
Illustration of a magnifying glass showing bacteria on the outline of a body.
Film Activities
Activity for Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome
Image of a tubeworm
Film Activities
Activity for How Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Image of a "wood snacks" commercial from the video
Film Activities
Activity for Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Photo of a bobtail squid
Film Activities
Activity for Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Image of Ed Yong with cartoon squid from the film
Animated Shorts
Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Screen shot of Ed Yong next to a poop emoji from the video
Animated Shorts
Fecal Microbiota Transplants
Image of Ed Yong eating wood from the film
Animated Shorts
Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Screen shot of Ed Yong from the video
Animated Shorts
Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome
Screen shot of Ed Yong from the video
Animated Shorts
Microbes from Mom: Vaginal Birth vs. C-Section
Screen shot of Ed Yong from the video
Animated Shorts
A World without Microbes
Image of Ed Yong from the film
Animated Shorts
How Giant Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Image of Ed Yong superimposed on a beewolf from the film
Animated Shorts
A Wasp Mom’s Gift: Blankets of Bacteria
Image of Ed Yong holding a drug capsule from the film
Animated Shorts
Superbugs That Resist Antibiotics Can Evolve in 11 Days

Other Resources About Symbiosis

Showing of
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Symbiotic Bioluminescence
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Bacterial Quorum Sensing
Image of a sea slug from the activity
Phenomenal Images
Slug Power
Image of a tubeworm
Film Activities
Activity for How Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Image of a "wood snacks" commercial from the video
Film Activities
Activity for Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Photo of a bobtail squid
Film Activities
Activity for Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Part of a phylogenetic tree with many branches. Some branches are black, and others are orange.
Data Points
Evolution of Ant-Mimicking Beetles
3D animation of a bleached coral
Animations
Coral Bleaching
Image of Ed Yong with cartoon squid from the film
Animated Shorts
Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Image of Ed Yong eating wood from the film
Animated Shorts
Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Image of Ed Yong from the film
Animated Shorts
How Giant Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Image of Ed Yong superimposed on a beewolf from the film
Animated Shorts
A Wasp Mom’s Gift: Blankets of Bacteria
Computer image of squid from the activity
Phenomenal Images
Living Together

Other Related Resources

Showing of
3D animation of a bleached coral
Animations
Coral Bleaching
Photo of bleached coral
Interactive Videos
Interactive Exploration of Coral Bleaching
Graph from the activity
Data Points
Salt Stress Impacts Photosynthesis in Algae
van Leeuwenhoek examining a microscope
Animated Shorts
Animated Life: Seeing the Invisible
Computer image of a mosquito transmitting malaria
Animations
Malaria: Human Host
Microscopy image of root growth
Phenomenal Images
Root Movement
Photo of bleached corals
Phenomenal Images
Stressed-Out Corals
Image from the activity
Phenomenal Images
Written in Chalk
Diagram of a volvox from the activity
Card Activities
What van Leeuwenhoek Saw
Image of bees on a flower from the video
Clips
Bee Colony Collapse Disorder
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility