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Soil aggregation is a key ecosystem process resulting in the formation and stabilization of soil structure, consisting of soil aggregates and the resulting matrix of pore spaces. As such, it significantly alters the environment of plant roots and microbes in a multitude of ways; thus, soil structure provides the basic setting in which mycorrhizas operate and have evolved. Not surprisingly, soil aggregation is important for root growth and for a wide range of soil features and ecosystem process rates, such as carbon storage and resistance to erosion (eg Jastrow et al., 1998; Six et al., 2006). The aggregation of soil is a complex process, regulated by a range of abiotic factors (eg texture) and mediated by plants and multiple biota groups and their interactions; in spite of this complexity, plant roots and their mycorrhizal symbionts are consistently found to be a crucial force in driving soil aggregation (Six et al., 2004; Rillig & …