Plant partnerships: Symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi

A hidden network of fungi supports the plants around us, connecting their roots to the soil. These remarkable symbiotic fungi live inside plant roots, exchanging nutrients in partnerships that have persisted for hundreds of millions of years. Plant-fungi interactions are not only essential for plant growth – they also help build rich, dynamic soils, sequester carbon and have shaped the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems. In this half-day course, you’ll explore the secret world of plant-fungi relationships. Through a mix of lecture, a guided Garden tour and a hands-on microscope session, you’ll see this intimate partnership up close and learn how symbiotic fungi influence the plants and landscapes around us. Ideal for anyone curious about nature, gardening or the hidden fungal networks beneath our feet.

Dr Raphaella Hull teaches and writes about plants as Acting Head of Learning and Higher Education Coordinator at the Botanic Garden. She develops and delivers the Garden’s Further and Higher Education programme and oversees the interpretation materials that connect visitors with the plant world. Before this, she completed a PhD on how plants perceive mycorrhizal fungi in soil, with an interest in the evolution of this relationship and its significance in grassland ecosystems.