With a burst of energy, this delicate white-capped mushroom pushes up through the soil and into the morning light. Its strength has come from a symbiotic relationship with one of the mighty oak trees in my back yard."Huh? Symbi-what?," you say. Well, let me try to explain. Biological symbiosis is the dependence of two species on each other for survival—bees and flowers for example. But most people are not aware that mushrooms and trees are symbiotic because the mutually beneficial activity takes place underground, completely out of sight. The industrious fungi wrap a thick coating of their very fine roots around the outermost, slenderest roots of a tree. With this nutrient transfer station in place, the mushrooms gather nitrogen and phosphorus, offering it to the tree in exchange for sugar.
Healthy human relationships are also symbiotic. A friendship or marriage with no give-and-take is precariously out of balance.
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