Investigating physiological changes in the aerial parts of AM plants: what do we know and where should we be heading?

Research in the field of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis has taken a giant leap in the past two decades, as demonstrated by the large amount of literature being published every year. Most of the research efforts have been put towards the understanding of the mechanisms of this symbiosis. However, there are still several unknowns on the systemic effects of the AM symbiosis, and our understanding of non-nutritional effects on the physiological changes occurring in the aerial parts of the host plant is yet quite limited. In this short note, I briefly address the question, if there are any changes in metabolic activities that are triggered by AM fungi, and assess the importance of such changes for mycorrhizal research and application.