Bacteria and fungi communicate via fragrances: Study
In a first, a Netherlands-based study has demonstrated that two different types of microorganisms, bacteria and fungi, use fragrances known as terpenes to communicate. By studying which genes were 'switched on' in the process, scientists found that a soil bacterium could 'smell' the fragrant terpenes produced by a plant pathogenic fungus and responded by producing a terpene of its own.