Fungi slay insects and feed host plants

For some plants, a nitrogen-rich diet from dead matter in soil just isn’t enough. Researchers from the University of Guelph in Ontario are discovering that these plants also rob nitrogen from the flesh of tiny soil-dwelling insects. But instead of doing the job themselves, the plants rely on fungal partners in crime.

Soil-dwelling insects called springtails, like the poppyseed-size specimen shown here, make the ultimate sacrifice as nearby fungi sip away their nitrogen.