Biology subjects

Kergunteuil, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Kergunteuil, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Plant-plant communication in tomato: mechanisms underpinning information transfer between plants

As evidences about plant-plant communication are mounting, we lack a mechanistic understanding of intricate events occurring inside and among pairs of plants. This is needed to untangle proximal causes explaining how volatiles emitted by herbivore-attacked plants can enhance plant defence in intact neighbouring plant. A comprehensive knowledge of these interactions may favour their integration in trait-based agroecological frameworks. Based on an original experiment set-up, we connected infested sender plants and intact receiver plants during 3 days. We monitored metabolomic reprogramming of sender plant and progressive adjustments in their volatile emissions. Plant-plant communication was tested according to metabolomic priming of receiver plant. Information transfer was tracked with kinetics of volatile profiles and chemodiversity metrics grounded in information theory. Our results show that sender plants infested with Phtorimae absoluta undergo deep reconfiguration of immune systems and balance their emissions of mono- and sesquiterpenoids over 3 days. These changes in airborne cues result in similar reprograming of immune system in receiver plants. Additionally, we observed herbivory-driven relationships between chemodiversity of volatile profiles produced by sender and receiver plants. Both metabolome and volatilome suggest that plant-plant communication operates as mirror effects with receiver plants matching up their defences on that of sender plants. From an adaptative standpoint, this supports the idea that information conveyed among plants is explicit enough to warn receiver plant against appropriate stress. More generally, this study points that information transfer could rely not only on composition but also on chemodiversity of volatile cues. We discuss implications related to cue detection at the molecular scale and cue propagation at the plant cover scale. Bridging composition and chemodiversity of volatile cues opens interesting avenues to study the efficiency of communication system in noisy environments.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Dissecting antibiosis resistance to Phthorimaea absoluta in wild and cultivated tomato accessions

AbstractTomato production faces a persistent challenge from the tomato leaf miner, Phthorimaea absoluta, a pest that severely limits yields while effective resistance in cultivated varieties remains scarce. To address this gap, wild tomato relatives represent a promising reservoir of resistance traits. In this study, 24 tomato accessions, including both cultivated types and wild species, were evaluated under greenhouse (no-choice) and tunnel (choice) conditions. Resistance mechanisms were characterized through measures of antibiosis such as leaflet lesion type, proportion of attacked leaflets, and mine density. The results revealed substantial variation between and within species, allowing classification of accessions into resistant, intermediate, and susceptible groups through multivariate analysis. Notably, the wild accession Solanum habrochaites PI248707 exhibited strong resistance, in contrast to susceptible cultivated varieties such as Rose de Berne. Under choice conditions, PI248707 sustained limited damage and disrupted larval development, with early instar larvae present but few reaching advanced stages, indicating an inhibitory defense response. Untargeted metabolomic profiling further highlighted pronounced constitutive differences between wild and cultivated accessions, with S. pennellii and S. habrochaites displaying higher metabolic diversity. By integrating phenotypic and metabolic data, specific metabolite classes associated with resistance were identified. These findings underscore the potential of wild tomato germplasm in breeding programs, with PI248707 standing out as a strong candidate for resistance introgression.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Genotype-Specific Root Morphology and Metabolic Traits Shape Bacterial Communities and Tolerance to Fusarium Root Rot in Wheat

Plant genotype plays a critical role in shaping root-associated microbial communities and in modulating plant tolerance to soilborne diseases such as Fusarium root rot (FRR). In this study, we investigated how four wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties, whose tolerance to FRR differs, influence the composition and structure of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere and root endosphere. We evaluated root traits that may contribute to the genotype-specific assembly of bacterial communities across the four wheat genotypes. The variety Concret exhibited the highest FRR tolerance, whereas Pilier was the most susceptible. Analyses of root morphology revealed significant genotype-dependent differences in root length and volume, which were positively correlated with the abundance of some rhizosphere bacteria affiliated with Bacillus, Lysobacter, and Sphingomonas. Untargeted metabolomics identified 879 features, with 20 key metabolites distinguishing the wheat genotypes, including alkaloids and benzoate- and benzoxazinoid-derived compounds. Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between these root metabolites and key bacterial taxa. Our findings demonstrate that wheat genotypes influence the assembly of the root microbiota through genotype-based morphological and metabolic traits, providing valuable insights into traits that modulate the plant microbiome to improve wheat resistance to FRR.

ecology↗