Truffles and Morels: Two Different Evolutionary Strategies of Fungal-Plant Interactions in the Pezizales

Pezizales are a widespread group of fungi, basal to the other filamentous ascomycetes. Most species live in soil as saprobes, in a mycorrhizal relationship with a wide range of plants, or as plant parasites. The lineage Morchellaceae–Discinaceae–Helvellaceae–Tuberaceae includes most of the commercially valuable species in the order. The truffles in the genus Tuber and morels in the genus Morchella arguably command more interest in culinary circles than any other groups of mushrooms. In recent years, the interactions of these fungi with plants have been thoroughly researched although many aspects still need to be clarified. In this chapter, we describe and compare these two groups of mushrooms and take a look at the evidence as to whether there are real trophic differences from those traditionally held and if things are not quite as simple as our forebears would have had us believe. We explore the range of host plants involved in the interactions, the morpho-anatomy of symbiotic structures, the molecular mechanisms of symbiosis, and the influence of other microbial species.