🦠 A root structure 🌳 A small tree

arbuscule

1 9.9

A tiny branched structure made by a fungus inside plant roots to help the plant take in nutrients

noun
/ˈɑːrbəˌskjuːl/

Specialized

: arbusculo

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi get their name from their characteristic formation of branching structures called arbuscules within the cortical cells of roots (Figure 1).

Examples

Arbuscules increase the contact area between plant and fungus and are thought to be the primary sites of exchange of the plant's carbon for the fungus's phosphorus.

Academic text (2001)
Arbuscules form a unique connection between the roots of a plant and the surrounding fungi, facilitating nutrient exchange.
The presence of arbuscules in root cells indicates a symbiotic relationship, enhancing the plant's nutrient uptake.
Researchers studied how arbuscules develop within plant roots to optimize the exchange of essential nutrients.

Surface Forms

arbuscule singular

arbuscules plural

Etymology

Arbuscule also comes from Latin arbusculus meaning 'little tree', and scientists used this word because the fungal structure looks like a tiny tree inside a plant root cell. That's why an arbuscule is the small, branched part fungi make to exchange nutrients with a plant.