Themed collection Chemical Ecology of Microbial Symbioses

Schematic representation of interkingdom-interactions mediated through bacterial signalling molecules present within a biofilm microenvironment.

Bacterial pathogens can be highly social, communicating and cooperating within multi-cellular groups to make us sick. Manipulating these behaviors might have therapeutic benefits.

This review covers intercellular signalling in the soil microbiome and its importance in regulating key beneficial functions. We consider the possibilities for how we can engineer soil microbiome signalling to unlock tangible benefits to crops.

This review unveils current knowledge on the complex interaction networks involving ribosomally synthesized peptides, either modified or not, being at play in microbial interactions and symbioses.

Terpenoids have diverse bioecological roles in all kingdoms of life. Here we discuss the evolution and ecological functions of microbial terpenoids and their possible applications.

Since the early 1970s, 375 natural products have been identified from members of the fungus-farming termite symbiosis, and this review summarises and discusses the ecological implications of the presence of this vast chemical repertoire.