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Review
. 2015 Mar;205(4):1448-1453.
doi: 10.1111/nph.13115. Epub 2014 Nov 24.

Interplant signalling through hyphal networks

David Johnson  1 , Lucy Gilbert  2
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Interplant signalling through hyphal networks

David Johnson et al. New Phytol. 2015 Mar.
Free article

Abstract

Mycorrhizal fungi can form common mycelial networks (CMNs) that interconnect plants. Here, we provide an insight into recent findings demonstrating that CMNs can be conduits for interplant signalling, influencing defence against insect herbivores and foliar necrotrophic fungi. A likely mechanism is direct transfer of signalling molecules within hyphae. However, electrical signals, which can be induced by wounding, may also enable signalling over relatively long distances, because the biophysical constraints imposed by liquid transport in hyphae and interaction with soil are relieved. We do not yet understand the ecological, evolutionary and agronomic implications of interplant signalling via CMNs. Identifying the mechanism of interplant signalling will help to address these gaps.

Keywords: aphids; communication; electrical and chemical signalling; evolution; fitness; herbivory; mycorrhiza; volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

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References

    1. Ayling SM, Smith SE, Smith FA, Kolesik P. 1997. Transport processes at the plant-fungus interface in mycorrhizal associations: physiological studies. Plant and Soil 196: 305-310.
    1. Babikova Z, Gilbert L, Bruce TJA, Birkett M, Caulfield JA, Woodcock C, Pickett JA, Johnson D. 2013a. Underground signals carried through common mycelial networks warn neighbouring plants of aphid attack. Ecology Letters 16: 835-843.
    1. Babikova Z, Gilbert L, Bruce TJA, Dewhirst SY, Pickett JA, Johnson D. 2013b. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and aphids interact by changing host plant quality and volatile emission. Functional Ecology 28: 375-385.
    1. Babikova Z, Gilbert L, Randall K, Bruce TJA, Pickett JA, Johnson D. 2014. Is improving phosphorus supply the mechanism through which arbuscular mycorrhiza increase the attractiveness of plants to aphids? Journal of Experimental Botany. 65: 5231-5241.
    1. Babikova Z, Johnson D, Bruce TJA, Pickett JA, Gilbert L. 2013c. How rapid is aphid-induced signal transfer between plants via common mycelial networks? Communicative and Integrative Biology 6: e25904.

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