Underground fungal communication network between plants discovered. British researchers have discovered that plants can emit warning signals to each other via networks of underground fungi. The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook reports on a new British study which helped to identify the fungal underground signaling system. British scientists at Rothamsted Research and the University of Aberdeen have collaborated in work which reveals the astonishing fact that plants have the ability to communicate underground. The study published in Ecology Letters reveals that plants under aphid attack are able to communicate warning signals to neighbouring plants via underground fungal networks. Instances of airborne plant communication via chemicals transmitted from damaged plants to neighbouring plants have been documented in the past but this is the first discovery that plants can communicate beneath ground. Threadlike networks of mycorrhizae fungi cover the roots of most plants. They have an important function in helping to extend the underground surface area used by plants to gather water and minerals. They provide a much greater surface area for water and nutrient gathering that can be provided by roots alone. They improve soil quality by developing root threads which separate clay platelets and bring air and water to the main roots. In the study, these same mychorrhizae fungi were found to play a crucial role in signaling warnings beneath the ground to neighbouring plants. During an aphid attack certain plants release chemicals that trigger a scent which simultaneously repels aphids and attracts natural predators – such as parasitic wasps - that feed on the aphids, helping to eliminate the bugs. The scientists in this new study designed an experiment to discover what would happen if plants under aphid attack were prevented from communicating by air. The team grew 5 sets of broad bean plants. Three plants in each set were allowed to develop mycorrhizal networks, with mychorrhizal network growth being prevented in the remaining two plants. Plants were covered with bags to prevent any chemical communication through the air. A single plant within the set was infected with aphids. The study showed that under these circumstances where the infested plant was connected to another plant underground via mycorrhizae fungi, the un-infested plant started to mount a chemical defence. In contrast, plants that were unconnected by fungal networks showed no chemical response and appeared not to receive any signal of attack. John Pickett of Rothamsted Research attempted to explain the reason for this evolutionary development in terms of a symbiotic relationship between the plants and fungi. He explained that mycorrhizal fungi need plants in order to obtain carbon (a product of plant photosynthesis) but that they have to do something in return for the plant. He said: “In the past, we thought of them as making nutrients available, but now we see another evolutionary role for them in which they pay the plant back by transmitting the signal efficiently.” The study develops scientific knowledge of plant interaction. It is important because the roots of virtually all plant groups are colonized by symbiotic fungi. This includes food crops such as wheat, rice, maize and barley. The discovery offers the possibility that crops can be managed using methods that take advantage of natural communication channels, helping to provide new and environmentally friendly methods of pest control which reduce the possibility of resistance developing on the part of pests. Professor Pickett commented “Aphids affect all higher-latitude agricultural regions, including the UK, the EU, North America, and North East Asia. The research could provide a new, sustainable and natural intervention.” Website: parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk Email: [email protected]
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:04:11 +0000
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