Final answer:
Arbuscular mycorrhizae help plants in arid environments by enhancing water uptake, improving access to nutrients, and increasing resistance to soil pathogens, thereby increasing plant survival rates.
Step-by-step explanation:
Arbuscular mycorrhizae form a mutualistic relationship with many plants, particularly helpful in arid environments where water and nutrient scarcity can severely limit plant growth. These mycorrhizal fungi penetrate the plant roots, extending their hyphae far into the soil beyond the plant's own root system. This expanded root-fungal network offers many survival advantages to the host plant.
Firstly, the mycorrhizae enhance water uptake due to the vast hyphal network that can reach water unavailable to the plant's roots alone. In arid climates, this is crucial as water can be the most limiting factor for plant survival. Secondly, the fungi improve access to nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, key elements often in short supply in degraded soils. Lastly, mycorrhizae can offer the plant increased resistance to soil pathogens, providing an added layer of protection in hostile environments.
Plants with mycorrhizae are more likely to thrive in challenging conditions, presenting robust growth and higher survival rates than those without the symbiotic fungi. Thus, introducing plants with arbuscular mycorrhizae is a strategic approach to restoring vitality to degraded lands under harsh environmental stressors.