Authors
Meischner, M., Haberstroh, S., Kreuzwieser, J., Schnitzler, J.-P., Werner, C.
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) facilitate aboveground plant communication, but belowground signaling remains less understood. This study explored root-root interactions between Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica saplings in monospecific (Fagus-Fagus) and heterospecific (Picea-Fagus) pairs (n=6), excluding shoot-level VOC communication. Sender plants were treated with jasmonic acid to simulate herbivory and labeled with 13CO2 and 15NH4NO3 to trace nutrient transfer in a split-root design. VOC emissions and gas exchange were measured over ten days using PTR-TOF-MS and 13CO2-spectroscopy and 13C and 15N were analyzed in roots and shoots via EA-IRMS. Our findings reveal, that (i) JA treatment induced strong de novo terpenoid emissions from P. abies and enhanced emissions of oxygenated VOCs and benzenoids from F. sylvatica, (ii) F. sylvatica receiver plants responded similarly to JA-treated neighbors, indicating belowground signaling, and (iii) responses of receiver plants were more pronounced in the heterospecific treatment. Furthermore, formic acid emissions from soils increased following JA treatment, suggesting altered soil microbial activity. Isotopic analysis revealed C exudation into the rhizosphere and N transfer to receiver plants. These results suggest that belowground signaling enables early priming of herbivore-induced defenses in neighboring plants, and that the response intensity is modulated by species identity.
Preprint server:
bioRxiv
The authors list and abstract were imported from bioRxiv on 01 Nov 2025.
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