Underground Signals: The Ecological Power of Root Volatiles

Root volatiles mediate diverse belowground interactions among plants, microbes, and invertebrates, but biological and environmental conditions strongly influence their production, movement, perception, and ecological effects. This review synthesizes current knowledge through an integrative conceptual framework linking five dimensions: (1) chemical diversity and biosynthesis; (2) regulation by biotic and abiotic factors; (3) plant internal signaling and resource allocation; (4) ecological adaptation and reciprocal evolutionary interactions with soil organisms; and (5) implications for agricultural management. Key roles include defense against herbivores and pathogens, recruitment of beneficial microbes and natural enemies, plant recognition, allelopathy, systemic signaling between roots and shoots, and coordination across multitrophic networks. The synthesis examines how volatile identity and concentration, soil properties, microbial transformation, and plant genotype influence signal transmission and ecological outcomes. Comparisons across taxa, compounds, and experimental systems clarify which mechanisms are broadly supported and which remain context-dependent. Priorities include resolving molecular pathways, tracing volatile transport and persistence in soil, distinguishing volatile effects from those of nonvolatile exudates, and validating functions under field conditions. A deeper mechanistic and ecological understanding of root volatiles is therefore essential for developing resilient crop protection strategies, reducing dependence on agrochemical inputs, advancing sustainable agroecology, and sustaining long-term soil health.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Science
Published
2026-09-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202522148
Primary Topic
Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Underground Signals: The Ecological Power of Root Volatiles

Shiheng An, Geoff M. Gurr, Jiancai Li, Xueyao Cao et al.
Advanced Science
Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies
article

Underground Signals: The Ecological Power of Root Volatiles

Shiheng An, Geoff M. Gurr, Jiancai Li, Xueyao Cao, Emmanuelle Jacquin‐Joly, Antonino Cusumano, Michele Ricupero, Qingbo Tang, Xiao Fei Sun, ManQun Wang, Arthur de Fouchier, Yunhe Li, Peng Han, Meritxell Pérez‐Hedo, Xiaoling Sun, Xiangbo Kong, Jin Zhang, Gary W. Felton, Qi Yan, Yang Liu, Peng He, Chen‐Zhu Wang, Qingsong Liu, Xueming Ren, Nanli Song, François Verheggen, Andrea Clavijo McCormick, Yanhui Guo, Li Chen, Yuanyuan Song, Bing Wang, Hao Guo
article en

Abstract

Root volatiles mediate diverse belowground interactions among plants, microbes, and invertebrates, but biological and environmental conditions strongly influence their production, movement, perception, and ecological effects. This review synthesizes current knowledge through an integrative conceptual framework linking five dimensions: (1) chemical diversity and biosynthesis; (2) regulation by biotic and abiotic factors; (3) plant internal signaling and resource allocation; (4) ecological adaptation and reciprocal evolutionary interactions with soil organisms; and (5) implications for agricultural management. Key roles include defense against herbivores and pathogens, recruitment of beneficial microbes and natural enemies, plant recognition, allelopathy, systemic signaling between roots and shoots, and coordination across multitrophic networks. The synthesis examines how volatile identity and concentration, soil properties, microbial transformation, and plant genotype influence signal transmission and ecological outcomes. Comparisons across taxa, compounds, and experimental systems clarify which mechanisms are broadly supported and which remain context-dependent. Priorities include resolving molecular pathways, tracing volatile transport and persistence in soil, distinguishing volatile effects from those of nonvolatile exudates, and validating functions under field conditions. A deeper mechanistic and ecological understanding of root volatiles is therefore essential for developing resilient crop protection strategies, reducing dependence on agrochemical inputs, advancing sustainable agroecology, and sustaining long-term soil health.

Advanced Science
Nanjing Agricultural University (CN), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Pennsylvania State University (US), Charles Sturt University (AU), Henan University (CN), Guizhou University (CN), Shanxi University (CN), Yunnan University (CN), Université Paris-Est Créteil (FR), Université Paris Cité (FR), Huazhong Agricultural University (CN), Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (BE), University of Catania (IT), Sorbonne Université (FR), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Institute of Plant Protection (CN), Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris (FR), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN), Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CN), Tea Research Institute (CN), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (CN), Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection (CN), Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (ES), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Institute of Zoology (CN), Hebei University (CN), Henan Agricultural University (CN), Massey University (NZ), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (CN), University of Palermo (IT)
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 22%
Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies
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