When insect pests get the munchies, some plants call in the microbes.
Gnawing fly larvae provoke cowpea plants to release chemicals into the soil that nurture a helpful community of microbes. These bacteria then prompt plants to release an airborne molecule that draws in parasitoid wasps to attack the flies, researchers report August 21 in Cell Reports . The results point toward durable protection stored in the dirt that could shield even future plantlets from the maw of an herbivore.
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It’s unclear how long the microbial protection lasts, or whether other kinds of plants lean on…
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