Category: The Neighbors
2016 “How Plants Work” News Highlights – January
Do Leaf Bacteria Fertilize Plants?
The “Inside” Story? An article in Science magazine (see Ref. 1 below) reports evidence supporting the hypothesis that leaf-dwelling, nitrogen-fixing bacteria may provide host plants with significant amounts of nitrogen. In the past, we briefly explored the microbial phyllosphere, that is, the microbes – including nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria – that dwell…
Do Plants Interact Using A Genetic “Language”?
New Evidence That Plants Communicate Via Undergound Fungal Networks
“It’s Through The Wire…” Most plants in the wild are interconnected via common mycorrhizal networks (CMN) . The “Wood-Wide-Web” and Plant “Social Networks” are two previous posts that explore one of the most intriguing – and frustrating – subjects in plant biology. Intriguing, because vascular land plants likely owe their…
Life in the Rhizosphere
The Rhizosphere Roots are leaky. That is, some of the sugars transported from the leaves down to the roots may diffuse into the narrow area of soil near the roots. Plant roots also secrete polysaccharides and glycoproteins (sometimes called mucilage) and other organic compounds. Thus, to soil-dwelling microorganisms, plant roots…
Plant “Social Networks” – Is This Why Companion Planting & Inter-Cropping Work?
Plant Networking Many neighboring plants may be interconnected by an underground fungal network known as mycorrhizae. (See a previous post on the subject.) These soil fungi, called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), are found in virtually all terrestrial ecosystems, and they form symbiotic relationships with a wide variety of plants. The…
The Wood-Wide-Web: Are Plants Inter-Connected by a Subterranean Fungal Network?
Mushrooms are the visible manifestations (sexual organs, actually) of microscopic, soil-dwelling fungi that form mutually-beneficial partnerships with plants. Since these filamentous fungi interact with the roots of plants, such symbiotic relationships are called mycorrhizae, literally “fungus root”. Fossil evidence supports the idea that these plant-fungal partnerships are as old as…
“Talking” Plants: Airborne Chemical Signals (Part 3)
How a parasitic plant may “sniff out” its victims. As on the internet, once information is broadcast, even if only among ‘friends’, it becomes available for other unintended and unexpected uses. Dodder (genus Cuscuta) is a parasitic plant on other plants. But how does this plant find its host? Apparently,…
“Talking” Plants: Airborne Chemical Signals
2016 “How Plants Work” News Highlights – January
Do Leaf Bacteria Fertilize Plants?

The “Inside” Story? An article in Science magazine (see Ref. 1 below) reports evidence supporting the hypothesis that leaf-dwelling, nitrogen-fixing bacteria may provide host plants with significant amounts of nitrogen. In the past, we briefly explored the microbial phyllosphere, that is, the microbes – including nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria – that dwell…
Do Plants Interact Using A Genetic “Language”?
New Evidence That Plants Communicate Via Undergound Fungal Networks

“It’s Through The Wire…” Most plants in the wild are interconnected via common mycorrhizal networks (CMN) . The “Wood-Wide-Web” and Plant “Social Networks” are two previous posts that explore one of the most intriguing – and frustrating – subjects in plant biology. Intriguing, because vascular land plants likely owe their…
Life in the Rhizosphere

The Rhizosphere Roots are leaky. That is, some of the sugars transported from the leaves down to the roots may diffuse into the narrow area of soil near the roots. Plant roots also secrete polysaccharides and glycoproteins (sometimes called mucilage) and other organic compounds. Thus, to soil-dwelling microorganisms, plant roots…
Plant “Social Networks” – Is This Why Companion Planting & Inter-Cropping Work?

Plant Networking Many neighboring plants may be interconnected by an underground fungal network known as mycorrhizae. (See a previous post on the subject.) These soil fungi, called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), are found in virtually all terrestrial ecosystems, and they form symbiotic relationships with a wide variety of plants. The…
The Wood-Wide-Web: Are Plants Inter-Connected by a Subterranean Fungal Network?

Mushrooms are the visible manifestations (sexual organs, actually) of microscopic, soil-dwelling fungi that form mutually-beneficial partnerships with plants. Since these filamentous fungi interact with the roots of plants, such symbiotic relationships are called mycorrhizae, literally “fungus root”. Fossil evidence supports the idea that these plant-fungal partnerships are as old as…
“Talking” Plants: Airborne Chemical Signals (Part 3)

How a parasitic plant may “sniff out” its victims. As on the internet, once information is broadcast, even if only among ‘friends’, it becomes available for other unintended and unexpected uses. Dodder (genus Cuscuta) is a parasitic plant on other plants. But how does this plant find its host? Apparently,…