Inter-plant communication through mycorrhizal networks mediates complex adaptive behaviour in plant communities

Gorzelak, Monika A.; Asay, Amanda K.; Pickles, Brian J.; Simard, Suzanne W.

doi:10.1093/aobpla/plv050

Cited by 195 publications

(151 citation statements)

References 98 publications

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“…Evidence suggests that various kinds of information can pass through this network. Partners subject to herbivore or disease attack do transfer some information from donor to adjacent receiver in the network enabling them to prepare suitable defence reactions via increased defence enzyme changes [124,125]. Within 24 h, the receiver plant had increased defence enzyme levels up to threefold [125].…”

Section: A Third Partner Modifies Competitive Circumstances and Leadsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The foundations of plant intelligence

Trewavas

2017

Interface Focus.

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Intelligence is defined for wild plants and its role in fitness identified. Intelligent behaviour exhibited by single cells and systems similarity between the interactome and connectome indicates neural systems are not necessary for intelligent capabilities. Plants sense and respond to many environmental signals that are assessed to competitively optimize acquisition of patchily distributed resources. Situations of choice engender motivational states in goal-directed plant behaviour; consequent intelligent decisions enable efficient gain of energy over expenditure. Comparison of swarm intelligence and plant behaviour indicates the origins of plant intelligence lie in complex communication and is exemplified by cambial control of branch function. Error correction in behaviours indicates both awareness and intention as does the ability to count to five. Volatile organic compounds are used as signals in numerous plant interactions. Being complex in composition and often species and individual specific, they may represent the plant language and account for self and alien recognition between individual plants. Game theory has been used to understand competitive and cooperative interactions between plants and microbes. Some unexpected cooperative behaviour between individuals and potential aliens has emerged. Behaviour profiting from experience, another simple definition of intelligence, requires both learning and memory and is indicated in the priming of herbivory, disease and abiotic stresses.

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Section: A Third Partner Modifies Competitive Circumstances and Leadsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The foundations of plant intelligence

Trewavas

2017

Interface Focus.

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“…These many-to-many interactions allow both partners in the symbiosis to choose among multiple trading partners but also force both partners to compete with other partners for nutrient or carbon resources [12,13]. CMNs play a key role for the long distance transport of nutrients, water, stress chemicals and allelochemicals and allow the interconnected host plants to "communicate" with other plants within their CMN [14][15][16][17][18]. CMNs have also been discussed as a pathway for the transport of N from donor to recipient plants [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Nitrogen Uptake of Plants: Current Knowledge and Research Gaps

2015

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Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play an essential role for the nutrient uptake of the majority of land plants, including many important crop species. The extraradical mycelium of the fungus takes up nutrients from the soil, transfers these nutrients to the intraradical mycelium within the host root, and exchanges the nutrients against carbon from the host across a specialized plant-fungal interface. The contribution of the AM symbiosis to the phosphate nutrition has long been known, but whether AM fungi contribute similarly to the nitrogen nutrition of their host is still controversially discussed. However, there is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates that AM fungi can actively transfer nitrogen to their host, and that the host plant with its carbon supply stimulates this transport, and that the periarbuscular membrane of the host is able to facilitate the active uptake of nitrogen from the mycorrhizal interface. In this review, our current knowledge about nitrogen transport through the fungal hyphae and across the mycorrhizal interface is summarized, and we discuss the regulation of these pathways and major research gaps.

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“…are transported through arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal networks to inhibit the growth of neighbouring plants (Barto et al, 2011;Gorzelak et al, 2015). In addition to transmission of biological-and chemical-derived cues through root systems, abiotic stresses including osmotic stress and drought induced stomatal closure in both stressed Pisum sativum plants and their unstressed neighbours (Falik et al, 2011(Falik et al, , 2012.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Root-mediated signal transmission of systemic acquired resistance against above-ground and below-ground pathogens

Song

Sim

Kim

et al. 2016

Ann Bot

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Background and Aims Plants modulate defence signalling networks in response to various biotic stresses via inter-organ communications. The root-mediated transmission of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) against soilborne and air-borne plant pathogens from SAR-induced plants to neighbouring plants subjected to local chemical and pathogen treatments was evaluated.Methods The first two plants out of ten Nicotiana benthamiana seedlings were pre-treated with the SARtriggering chemical benzothiadiazole (BTH). All ten seedlings were then challenged with two pathogenic bacteria, i.e. the root (bacterial wilt) pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum and the leaf (wildfire) pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci, at 7 d after SAR induction.Key Results Disease severity was noticeably lower in BTH-pre-treated plants than in the control. Surprisingly, two plants located next to BTH-treated plants exhibited reduced disease symptoms indicating that SAR signal transmission occurred through the root system. Determinant(s) secreted from the root system were search for and it was found that salicylic acid (SA) is a major molecule involved in SAR transmission through the root. Analysis of the expression of the defence-related genes N. benthamiana pathogenesis-related gene 1a (NbPR1a) and NbPR2 confirmed that BTH treatment elicited SAR via root-root transmission between plants. Plants with knock-down of the multiple resistance component SGT1 and SA biosynthesis-related gene ICS1 by Tobacco rattle virus-mediated virus-induced gene silencing exhibited a lack of root-mediated SAR transmission. The biological relevance of this finding was validated by challenge with the SAR-inducing avirulent pathogen P. syringae pv. syringae instead of BTH, which produced similar results.Conclusions Our findings demonstrated that SAR is transmissible through the root system from SAR-triggered plants to neighbouring plants.

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Inter-plant communication through mycorrhizal networks mediates complex adaptive behaviour in plant communities

Cited by 195 publications

References 98 publications

The foundations of plant intelligence

The foundations of plant intelligence

Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Nitrogen Uptake of Plants: Current Knowledge and Research Gaps

Root-mediated signal transmission of systemic acquired resistance against above-ground and below-ground pathogens

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