this type of mycorrhizal associations were called 'Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM)', but since some members of these fungi do not produce any vesicles, such as the members of Gigasporaceae; the term has been changed to 'Arbuscular Mycorrhizae' to include them.

Advances in research on mycorrhizal physiology and ecology since the 1970s have led to a greater understanding of the multiple roles of AMF in the ecosystem. An example