Image credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Studies have been completed showing that plants produce the hormones; salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and, ethylene, to defend themselves against pathogens. The three compounds are able to compensate for each other; that is, if one is missing, the other two are able to defend the plant. Sur Herrera Paredes, an HHMI international student, and her team, found that when the compounds are missing in a plant, there is a significant shift in the relative abundances of entire bacterial families in these plants. These findings indicate that these defence compounds shape the microbial community in the rhizosphere. They also found that certain levels of salicylic acid is required as a positive signal to attract bacteria… Very interesting area for further research

Read the entire article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150716160331.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fplants_animals%2Fsoil_types+%28Soil+Research+News+–+ScienceDaily%29