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A Potential Role for Common Mycorrhizal Networks (CMNs) in Mediating Response Strategies and Signaling Between Different Plant Combinations Under Salt Stress

Zheng J, Liu Q, Yang X, Xie Y, Gao Z, Ma X

Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland), 2026

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Abstract

Soil salinization is one of the main stress factors limiting plant growth and ecosystem restoration in arid regions. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can form common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) that potentially facilitate resource and signal exchange between plants. In this study, we investigated whether such processes associated with AMF connectivity might contribute to salt tolerance in different plant combinations, using Glycyrrhiza inflata and Lycium ruthenicum. However, under salt stress, it remains unclear how different plant combinations (conspecific vs. heterospecific) may differentially benefit from CMN-mediated processes under salt stress, and whether such processes involve coordinated stress signaling and nitrogen transfer. This study used Glycyrrhiza inflata (a leguminous N-fixing plant with a "N-input" strategy) and Lycium ruthenicum (a deep-rooted desert shrub with a "resource-use efficiency" strategy) as materials to construct conspecific and heterospecific plant combinations: G-G (G. inflata-G. inflata), L-L (L. ruthenicum-L. ruthenicum), G-L (G. inflata-L. ruthenicum), and L-G (L. ruthenicum-G. inflata). Four salt stress levels were set (NaCl concentrations of 0, 150, 250, and 350 mmol·L-1), along with AMF inoculation treatments. The study evaluated responses in AMF colonization, nitrogen transfer, biomass, root structure, photosynthetic characteristics, antioxidant capacity, osmotic regulation, and hormone levels. The results show that: (1) AMF…

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