Interplant Communication of Tomato Plants through Underground Common Mycorrhizal Networks
First proof plants share defense signals through fungal networks—uninfected tomatoes activated 6 defense genes when networked to infected neighbors.
Before a single pathogen touched them, the neighbors were already fighting back. This landmark "Wood Wide Web" study proved plants share threat intelligence through underground mycorrhizal networks. When fungus-connected tomato plants were infected, uninfected neighbors activated six defense genes and ramped up six defensive enzymes—preemptive immunity triggered by chemical alarm signals they never directly encountered.
This is biological early warning at its finest: mutualism between plants and fungi creating network-wide defense coordination. For organizations, the parallel is direct. Companies connected through industry threat-sharing consortiums (like financial sector ISACs) receive advance warning of attacks their isolated competitors never see. The plants' solution—trading some autonomy for network membership—is exactly the calculation every company makes when joining an information-sharing alliance.
Key Findings from Song et al. (2010)
- Uninfected tomato plants upregulated 6 defense genes when connected via mycorrhizal networks to pathogen-infected plants
- Receiver plants showed significant increases in 6 defensive enzymes: peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, and lipoxygenase
- Disease resistance transferred through underground fungal networks without any direct pathogen contact
- Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae served as the signal conduit between donor and receiver plants
- First empirical demonstration that mycorrhizal networks transmit defense signals, not just nutrients