The rhizosphere is the dynamic biological process zone surrounding plant roots where intense interactions among roots, soil microorganisms, and soil particles occur, driving nutrient cycling, signaling, and organic matter transformation. Root exudation of sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and secondary metabolites shapes microbial community composition and activity, stimulating processes such as nitrogen fixation, mineral weathering, phosphorus solubilization, and decomposition. Microbial metabolism and plant–microbe signaling in the rhizosphere regulate root architecture, plant nutrient uptake, and stress responses, while also influencing soil structure and aggregation. This biologically active interface is central to plant–soil feedbacks, ecosystem productivity, and biogeochemical fluxes.
Symbioses between plants and fungi are essential for most plants. Fungal structures known as mycorrhizae extend the area from which plants can draw water and nutrients from the soil. In return, plants supply the fungi with ...
Ecology
Aug 3, 2026
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Across North America, in places such as Illinois, Iowa and Texas, farmers are busy growing the crops the world depends on for food, fuel and fiber.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 8, 2026
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Scientists at Leiden University have discovered that plants are strongly influenced by their neighbors, not just above ground but also through hidden networks in the soil. Their findings challenge long-held ideas about how ...
Ecology
Jul 6, 2026
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Researchers at the University of East Anglia have helped uncover a hidden ally in the fight against one of agriculture's greatest threats—salty soil. Led by Chinese collaborator Dr. Yanfen Zheng, the team's new study shows ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 24, 2026
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New research suggests the microbiome near the surface of a plant's roots, known as the rhizosphere microbiome, may play a role in helping crops respond to heat stress.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 19, 2026
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How can plants that compete for the same resources grow in the same area without one driving the other to extinction? Ecologists have been trying to answer this question for decades, and a surprising new explanation has now ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 5, 2026
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A new study shows crop species, and not soil type, primarily determines the beneficial functions provided by root-associated microbes. In the study, soil obtained from across nine UK locations was used to cultivate six key ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 28, 2026
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A study led by researchers from the Department of Microbiology at the University of Malaga has revealed how organic farming—using natural substances and processes and avoiding the use of synthetic chemicals—can, in the long ...
Ecology
May 21, 2026
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A study conducted in the Brazilian state of Amazonas has demonstrated that small amounts of Amazonian dark earth (ADE)—an anthropogenic soil created by ancient Amazonian populations—can increase the height and diameter of ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 28, 2026
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179
Trichoderma species—a common fungus found in soils—have varying abilities to promote tomato plant growth and differentially affect the abundance of certain soil bacteria, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State.
Ecology
Apr 23, 2026
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