PubMed · 2026-06-08
Scientists discovered that common soil fungi living inside plant roots — called endophytes — can form underground networks between plants and shuttle nitrogen, carbon, and water through those connections, much like the better-known mycorrhizal networks. One fungus boosted plant growth by 38% and dramatically increased nitrogen uptake through these shared pathways.
Three phylogenetically diverse endophytic fungi (Trichoderma viride, Mucor hiemalis, and Fusarium temperatum) all formed common endophyte networks (CENs) capable of transferring isotope-labeled nitrogen, carbon, and water between physically separated donor and receiver plants.
Fusarium temperatum boosted receiver plant growth by 38% relative to uninoculated controls and enriched plant 15N content from amino acids by 55%, demonstrating functionally significant resource transfer.
Trichoderma viride transferred amino acid-derived 13C from donor soil to receiver plant tissues (+2.83% above control), and all three endophytes shifted their transfer behavior when connecting two hosts versus one, showing network-level responses distinct from single-plant symbiosis.
