Tag: Biotic Interactions

What exactly is the growth/defense tradeoff? This review is an excellent place to ask. Zhang et al. review evidence that shows that it is much more than a competition for limiting resources – the plant actively responds to stress in ways that may slow growth but ultimately promote survival. The…

Microbiota-root-shoot axis modulation by MYC2 favors Arabidopsis growth over defense under suboptimal light Below- and aboveground plant organs experience distinct biotic and abiotic environments. Thus, coordination between root and shoot responses are likely crucial for plant survival. Given that…

The symbiotic association between legumes and nitrogen-fixing rhizobia leads to the formation of nodules in roots, which supply nitrogen to the plant in low soil nitrate condition. In contrast, the presence of high nitrate reduces nodule formation. Cytokinin (CK) biosynthesis plays a major role in nodule…

Within the bacterial genus Xanthomonas there are many plant pathogens, some of which colonize living cells within leaves, and others of which are vascular pathogens that colonize and spread through vascular tissues. Gluck-Thaler et al. looked at genomes from sets of closely related bacteria that…

Insect-induced galls are abnormally patterned plant organs that provide insects with protection and a nutrient source, yet mechanisms underlying the development of these unique organs are mostly unknown. To identify insect factors that govern gall pattering, Korgaonkar et al. turned to the natural variation…

Parasitic plants cause agricultural devastation across the globe, yet the molecular basis of their parasitism is largely enigmatic. They grapple and intrude into the host roots with an organ called the haustorium. Haustoria formation is induced upon recognition of host-derived haustorium-inducing factors…

Meristem culture is widely used as a technique for plant propagation because meristems are usually virus-free, even in systemically infected plants. It has long been assumed that viruses are unable to enter the cells of the meristem due to the meristem’s lack of vascular connections to the plant. Here,…

Physicists say “for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction,” an expression that applies to the interactions between plants and pathogens as well. Here, Xia et al. have uncovered another layer in the “arms race” between soybeans and the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora sojae.…