Regeneración Agroecológica: una disciplina emergente basada en el Holobionte

Griffon y Pino, 2026

Los problemas de rentabilidad y la crisis climática demandan estrategias de manejo que integren resiliencia ecológica y viabilidad productiva para los sistemas agrícolas. En este trabajo se propone y desarrollan las bases de la Regeneración Agroecológica, que sitúa al holobionte (planta y su microbioma) como unidad central de diagnóstico y manejo para restaurar la funcionalidad de sistemas agrícolas degradados. La Regeneración Agroecológica como disciplina emergente, propone la integración entre la rigurosidad científica de la agroecología y la practicidad de la agricultura regenerativa. En este trabajo se presentan los principios operativos de la Regeneración Agroecológica y un protocolo de Diagnóstico Holístico basado en el Holobionte que integra análisis microbiano, físico-químico de suelo, análisis de savia y evaluación ecológica macro del agroecosistema. Se aplicó este protocolo a 20 unidades agrícolas del Maule (Chile) para caracterizar sus estados funcionales. La mayoría de las unidades convencionales evaluadas mostró una disrupción de sus redes ecológicas. Solo una unidad agrícola presentó atributos funcionales consistentes con manejo regenerativo. De esta manera se puede constatar, que el enfoque propuesto permite diagnosticar funcionalmente sistemas agrícolas y diseñar intervenciones dirigidas a reconstruir las redes de interacción ecológicas necesarias para el correcto funcionamiento de los agroecosistemas.

http://revistas.uach.cl/index.php/agrosur/article/view/8357/9258

Regeneración Agroecológica: Fundamentos Teóricos

Diego Griffon

Regeneración Agroecológica: ¿Por qué?

Diego Griffon

An eco-evolutionary theory of host-associated microbiomes 

Araujo et al., 2026

Host-associated microbiomes often display host specificity and heritability, yet the evolutionary processes under which such structured communities first emerge are still unclear. In particular, the conditions by which intergenerational (i.e., vertical) transmission of microbes can evolve and generate host-specific microbiomes are still unresolved. Here, we present an eco-evolutionary theory of microbiome assembly under minimal assumptions of microbial dynamics (i.e., neutrally driven by environmental fluctuations) and host control. We consider the adaptive evolution of microbial and host traits, including microbiome size and vertical transmission. We show that environmental fluctuations can generate enough among-host microbial variation to enable host-level selection favoring beneficial microbiome configurations. Vertical transmission can then evolve and, even when weak, allow microbiome specificity to be inherited and amplified across generations despite continuous influx from the external environment. Selection is most effective at intermediate levels of environmental fluctuation and host lifespan, revealing fundamental trade-offs between stochastic assembly, inheritance, and dispersal of microbes. The resulting microbiomes are dense, host-specific, and heritable, yet retain high intraspecific variability and lack strict phylosymbiosis. Simulated patterns of microbial dominance, diversity, and host–microbiome dissimilarity closely match those observed in nature, as evidenced using marine sponge microbiomes. Our results provide a mechanistic theory for the early evolution of host-associated microbiomes, showing that beneficial and species-specific communities can arise through selection and inheritance prior to the evolution of dedicated host-control mechanisms.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2612550123

Higher and more stable biological control of multiple herbivore species in diversified strip cropping systems 

Bolletta et al., 2026

1. Context: Agricultural intensification has simplified agroecosystems, reduced biodiversity and weakened natural pest control. Effective biological control requires reliable, long-term control of multiple herbivores. While studies investigated biological control in diversified cropping systems, there is little information as to what extent pest suppression is sustained throughout the growing season and whether it provides satisfactory control of several herbivores.
2. Objectives: Here we assessed how increasing crop diversity and an ‘attract-and-reward’ (A&R) strategy influence the effectiveness and temporal stability of biological control.
3. Methods: We compared predation, parasitism of eggs and caterpillars in a cabbage system with four levels of crop diversity: cabbage monoculture, cabbage-oat strip cropping, strip cropping with six crops and an A&R system in which a strip cropping system was enhanced by inclusion of a parasitoid-attractive cabbage cultivar and nectar-providing buckwheat. Experiments were conducted at two organically-managed farms in the Netherlands in 2023 and 2024. Additionally, a full-factorial experiment was conducted in 2023 at one location to assess the effects of the A&R components. Temporal stability was quantified as the coefficient of variation and the proportion of sampling weeks in which each treatment exceeded the mean biological control level.
4. Results: Across locations and years, strip cropping enhanced parasitism rates of Pieris brassicae and Plutella xylostella compared with monocultures. Pieris brassicae parasitism increased from 28% in monocultures to 58% in strip cropping systems, while P. xylostella parasitism rose from 10% to 25%–30%. Parasitism of Mamestra brassicae eggs by Trichogramma spp. reached up to 30% in the strip cropping system with six crops, compared with 1% in monocultures. A&R provided no improvement beyond standard strip cropping. Monocultures showed the highest coefficient of variation and exceeded the site-year mean in only 13% of weeks, compared to more than 60% in strip crop systems.
5. Synthesis and application: Our results highlight that strip cropping can enhance and stabilize biological control. Even simple two-crop designs provide clear benefits over monocultures, while increasing crop diversity to six crops offers additional advantages. Because the temporal stability of biological control increases with crop diversity, designing strip cropping systems with more crops can help maintain consistent and resilient pest regulation throughout the growing season.

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.70381

Predator decision-making shapes the dynamics and stability of mimicry systems 

Sun and Ke, 2026

1. Mimicry is an anti-predator strategy in which prey species (the mimic) resemble an unprofitable species (the model) to deceive predators. Despite theoretical expectations for perfect mimicry, imperfect mimicry, where the mimic resembles its model imperfectly, is widespread in nature.
2. To understand how imperfect mimicry can persist ecologically, we studied the effect of different predator recognition processes on the dynamics and stability of various mimicry systems. Specifically, we extended a dynamical model that integrates optimal foraging and signal detection theories by introducing a novel abundance-dependent recognition mechanism, where predators' perception of the similarity between mimic and model is influenced by the relative abundance of prey types.
3. We demonstrate that intermediate similarity promotes stable community dynamics and increases mimic abundance in single Batesian mimicry systems. Moreover, abundance-dependent recognition leads predators to reduce attack on mimics with low morphological similarity, further contributing to system stability.
4. Extending the framework to a multi-mimicry system, we find that Batesian and Müllerian mimics have contrasting effects: Intermediate Batesian similarity continues to stabilize the system, while high Müllerian similarity provides additional protection and can offset destabilization caused by highly similar Batesian mimics.
5. Our study offers a novel explanation for the prevalence of imperfect mimicry in nature and highlights how recognition processes shape the ecological stability of mimicry systems.

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2656.70319

Interannual rainfall variability promotes species coexistence primarily through relative nonlinearity in interaction strength

Lin et al.,  2026

1. Combating the effects of global change and biodiversity loss requires a deeper understanding of species coexistence across variable environments. Little is known, however, about how drivers of coexistence respond to environmental change.
2. Using a greenhouse competition experiment, we examine how interannual rainfall variation influences competitive dynamics in an old-field annual plant community in southern China. We parameterize a competition model for eight species to assess coexistence outcomes under constant and variable rainfall conditions, partitioning variation-independent and variation-dependent mechanisms of coexistence.
3. We show that species are more likely to coexist under variable rainfall conditions. Of the coexistence mechanisms examined, relative nonlinearity of the interaction strength most strongly promotes coexistence, followed by a lesser positive contribution from relative nonlinearity of the vital rates, while the interaction effect between these nonlinearities tends to destabilize coexistence.
4. Synthesis. Our study provides novel evidence that rainfall variability promotes pairwise species coexistence in a multispecies plant community, driven primarily by the relative nonlinearity in interaction strength. These findings highlight the necessity of incorporating environmental variability into coexistence studies to better predict and manage biodiversity in a changing world.

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2745.70419

Trophic rewilding restructure the insect communities according to their functional traits: Insights from a multitaxa study 

Walte et al., 2026

1. Trophic rewilding, or returning vertebrate megaherbivores to defaunated ecosystems, is advocated for restoring ecosystems and biodiversity conservation. As many groups of modern insects radiated during the Neogene era into landscapes inhabited by abundant megafauna, they should be adapted to disturbances provided by megaherbivores' presence.
2. In the Czech Republic, 11 fenced localities have been trophically rewilded by horse, the reconstructed ‘aurochs’, wisent and water buffalo, in various combinations, since 2016 onwards. At these localities, we established 1-ha plots in a rewilded/control design, characterised their vegetation and surveyed butterflies (passive monitoring since the rewilding onset), macro-moths, bees and wasps, ants and orthopterans (single-season rewilded/control surveys). We analysed the data using mixed linear models to compare insect species' richness and abundances and constrained ordinations with interpretation of ordination scores by the life history traits to investigate effects on species' composition.
3. Trophically rewilded plots hosted more species and individuals of bees+wasps and orthopterans. They did not differ from controls in the other groups. Rewilding affected species' composition in all targeted groups, supporting smaller-sized, specialised and less mobile species; butterflies and moths developing on small forbs; and ant trait composition did not respond to rewilding.
4. Synthesis and applications. Presence of large ungulates increased richness and abundance of some insect taxa. Across taxa, it supported life history traits declining in modern industrialised landscapes. Trophic rewilding thus represents a way to remedy undesirable effects of land use intensification, and to mimic conditions in which a substantial proportion of temperate insect biodiversity has evolved.

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.70399

Succession as a unifying model of ecosystem ecology and conservation 

Allgeier  and Zak, 2026

Restoring ecosystem function and services requires a refined understanding of ecological succession because of the increased frequency and magnitude of disturbances in the Anthropocene. Ecosystem ecology has gained increasing attention for its utility in conservation over the past decade because it relies on fundamental principles to generate models from which basic processes, such as primary, secondary, or ecosystem production, can be predicted—all of which form the basis for ecological services. Despite this, ecosystem ecology lacks a unifying framework that can provide universal predictions about the trajectory of ecosystem production and, thus, can be effectively applied to restore ecosystem function and services in the Anthropocene.

Succession is a fundamental concept in ecology because it provides perspectives on how ecosystems change over time and respond following disturbance. It is also a useful concept for conservation and restoration because human activity has increased the frequency and magnitude of disturbances globally. Ecosystem ecology offers a unique perspective on succession because it views dynamics through the lens of process-based currencies—such as net ecosystem production—that subsume multiple simultaneous properties of energy and nutrient flow, thereby providing a useful measure with which to monitor and anticipate net change. Studying succession through these perspectives reveals fundamental patterns that unify central principles of ecosystem ecology and provide a predictive model on which to base conservation and restoration efforts.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169534726001503

Mathematics in the Age of AI

Terence Tao 

True solitude is found in the wild places, where one is without human obligation. One’s inner voices become audible. One feels the attraction of one’s most intimate sources. In consequence, one responds more clearly to other lives.

Wendell Berry

Mutually beneficial interactions between bacteria and Arabidopsis promote phosphorus nutrition and growth 

Wang et al., 2026

It remains unknown whether plants establish mutualistic relationships with any bacteria to cope with phosphorus (P) limitation. We characterized root-bacterial microbiome members to show that many of them may cooperate with Arabidopsis to promote seedling P nutrition and growth. In-depth analyses uncovered an intricate interaction between Arabidopsis and Acinetobacter bacteria during P deficiency. Instead of a direct role in P-mining, malate secreted by P-deprived roots acts as a call-for-help signal that recruits bacteria to the rhizoplane, where Acinetobacter adopt a mutualistic lifestyle and utilize host-derived nutrients to robustly mobilize P normally inaccessible to plants. The rhizoplane, but not the surrounding space, served as a hotspot for P acquisition by both plants and bacteria. The interaction occurred in the context of a bacterial community and in P-impoverished soil. Our work reveals a mutualistic strategy between bacteria and a non-mycorrhizal plant that promotes P nutrition.

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00917-7

The hidden dimensions of consciousness? are plants intelligent? 

Peter Singer and Michael Pollan

Resistant and Susceptible Lima Bean Genotypes Differentially Recruit Rhizosphere and Phyllosphere Bacteria in Response to the Fungal Pathogen Colletotrichum truncatum  

Novaes de Aquino et al., 2026

Los microbiomas asociados a las plantas desempeñan un papel fundamental en la salud del hospedero y en su resistencia a las enfermedades. En este estudio se evaluaron las comunidades bacterianas de la rizósfera y la filosfera de dos genotipos de frijol lima (Phaseolus lunatus) con diferente nivel de resistencia a la antracnosis, tanto en plantas inoculadas como no inoculadas con Colletotrichum truncatum. Para ello, se secuenció el gen 16S rRNA de las bacterias presentes en ambos compartimentos.

Los resultados mostraron que tanto el genotipo de la planta como la inoculación con el patógeno modificaron significativamente la estructura de las comunidades bacterianas. En el genotipo resistente se observaron cambios más marcados en la composición del microbioma después de la inoculación, tanto en la rizósfera como en la filosfera. En la rizósfera, las plantas susceptibles inoculadas presentaron una mayor diversidad bacteriana que las resistentes. Además, los genotipos resistentes exhibieron conjuntos bacterianos más diferenciados entre plantas inoculadas y no inoculadas, lo que sugiere una reorganización específica del microbioma en respuesta al patógeno.

El análisis de redes ecológicas reveló respuestas diferentes según el compartimento vegetal. En la filosfera de las plantas resistentes inoculadas se detectó una red bacteriana con mayor conectividad y predominio de interacciones positivas, indicando una comunidad más cooperativa y organizada durante la infección. En conjunto, los resultados demuestran que los genotipos resistentes remodelan activamente su microbioma frente al ataque de C. truncatum, favoreciendo el enriquecimiento de bacterias potencialmente beneficiosas y el establecimiento de redes microbianas más interconectadas y cooperativas, lo que probablemente contribuye a una mayor resistencia a la enfermedad.

https://bsppjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ppa.70234

The Personalised Ecology Index: A novel measure of an individual's direct sensory interactions with nature

Poznansky et al., 2026

El estudio presenta el Personalised Ecology Index (PEI), un nuevo indicador diseñado para cuantificar las interacciones directas de una persona con la naturaleza. El índice integra cuatro dimensiones: frecuencia de las visitas a espacios naturales, duración de esas visitas, diversidad de ambientes frecuentados e intensidad de la atención que la persona presta a los elementos naturales, como plantas, animales y paisajes.

El PEI fue validado utilizando encuestas realizadas a más de 29000 personas en el Reino Unido. Los resultados demostraron que el índice posee una sólida validez estadística, distingue adecuadamente entre distintos niveles de interacción con la naturaleza y presenta valores más altos en personas que viven en zonas rurales o con mayor disponibilidad de áreas verdes.

Los autores proponen que el PEI puede utilizarse para investigar la relación entre la experiencia cotidiana con la naturaleza, la salud, el bienestar y los comportamientos proambientales, además de servir como herramienta para evaluar políticas públicas orientadas a incrementar el contacto de la población con los ecosistemas naturales. Aunque reconocen limitaciones, como su enfoque en interacciones principalmente intencionales y su desarrollo inicial para el contexto británico, concluyen que constituye un instrumento novedoso y útil para estudiar la ecología personalizada de las personas y su relación con la conservación de la biodiversidad.

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.70389

Assembly of plant holobionts is governed by nematode communities and their associated microbiota, conditioned by preceding plants

Heuer et al., 2026

Pants form holobionts by associating with diverse microbiota. Self-organization gives rise to emergent properties of the holobiont, such as increased resistance to pathogens. However, the local factors contributing to the self-organization are not well understood. We hypothesized that nematode communities and their associated microbiota govern the rhizobiome of the model plant holobiont tomato in terms of its suppression of root invasion by the parasite Meloidogyne hapla, and that the soil legacy influences the suppressive potential mediated by these biota. In pot experiments, a resistant tomato holobiont was favored by assembly in the presence of a nematode community conditioned by tomato plants, compared to oilseed rape or fallow soil. Nematode communities conditioned by tagetes could enhance resistance even better than tomato. Microbiota from crushed tomato-conditioned nematode communities increased resistance of the tomato holobiont, compared to microbiota of nematode communities conditioned by maize, or heat-inactivated microbiota. The 0.2 µm-filtered microbiota from crushed nematodes had the same effect, suggesting a role of nematode-associated bacteriophages in holobiont assembly. The results indicate that soil nematodes and their associated microbiota play a role in the local organization and stabilization of plant holobionts. They can influence the resistance of plants that subsequently grow in the same soil. From an applied perspective, crop rotation schemes that alter nematode–microbiota communities could be harnessed to engineer crop holobionts.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.02.736003v1.full

Random motility regulation as a generic mechanism of community formation 

Dinelli et al., 2026

The self-organization of microbial ecosystems involves a large variety of mechanisms, ranging from biochemical signaling to population dynamics. Among these, the role of motility regulation has been little studied, despite the importance of active migration processes. Here we show how weak, random motility regulation suffices to induce complex forms of organization in bacterial mixtures comprising a large number of coexisting strains. First, we simulate microscopic models of run-and-tumble bacteria whose self-propulsion speeds are weakly regulated by the local density of each strain, mimicking the impact of weak, random metabolic interactions. Our simulations reveal that, as the heterogeneity of the interaction network increases, the system undergoes a phase transition leading to the emergence of distinct, spatially segregated communities. To account for these results and assess their robustness, we use random-matrix theory to analyze the hydrodynamic description of the bacterial mixture, obtaining a quantitative agreement with our microscopic simulations. Our results hold for a variety of motility-regulation mechanisms and highlight the need to characterize the role of motility regulation in experimentally relevant situations.

https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/cl1f-mfgp

PrePrint:

https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.12692

The host–microbiome dimension of ecological regime shifts 

Rindi et al., 2026

Regime-shift research has largely overlooked host-associated microbiomes, even though they can buffer stress, speed recovery, and mediate chemical interactions that sustain reinforcing feedbacks and lock in alternative states.

Host–microbiome partnerships bolster stress-tolerance to perturbations and support recovery across marine foundation species.

Combining innovative microbiome manipulations with regime-shift mapping tools can reveal whether altering microbiomes shifts thresholds.

Host-associated microbiome-based indicators may precede host-based metrics and enable earlier, more targeted interventions.

A holobiont lens on regime-shift dynamics may help translate microbiome-assisted restoration into actionable tools for managing ecosystems under accelerating change.

Rising climate and local pressures increase the risk of regime shifts, yet despite progress, thresholds remain difficult to identify early enough to take action. We argue that this shortfall reflects a host-centric view that largely omits host-associated microbiomes, which can shape resilience by modulating stress tolerance, aiding recovery, and stabilizing alternative states through inhibitory chemical interactions. We propose a research agenda that integrates host-associated microbiomes into regime-shift ecology by combining novel microbiome manipulations in laboratory and field settings with regime-shift mapping tools, while simultaneously developing microbiome-based early warning indicators. Reframing regime-shift theory through a host-associated microbiome lens can provide practical tools to anticipate collapse, improve monitoring, and inform timely interventions, thereby supporting more adaptive and robust conservation under accelerating global change.

https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/abstract/S0169-5347(26)00148-5

Environmental microbes as modulators of plant volatile landscapes: Implications for plant–insect chemical communication 

Zhang et al., 2026

Free-living environmental microbes at four plant-atmosphere interfaces (leaf, nectar, fruit, and bark surfaces) intercept, biotransform, and augment plant volatile signals, shaping what herbivores, pollinators, and parasitoids detect. This forum article reviews how microbes remodel these signals, the threats posed by climate change and land-use intensification, and priorities for translating microbial volatile ecology into sustainable pest management.

The global phyllosphere spans an estimated 1 billion square kilometres of above-ground plant surface, placing surface-dwelling epiphytes, carposphere colonisers, and nectar inhabitants at the plant-atmosphere boundary. At the plant-atmosphere interface, these microbes occupy a biochemical gatekeeper role: intercepting, consuming, and transforming plant-emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) before those signals reach insect receivers. Isoprene monooxygenases in Rhodococcus and Variovorax catalyse the oxidation and biocapture of isoprene emitted from leaf surfaces, while fungal cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, reductases, and Baeyer–Villiger oxidases execute stereoselective biotransformations, including regioselective hydroxylation of inactivated C–-H bonds, enantioselective carbonyl reduction, and lactone-forming oxidations.

Biotransformation can redirect a plant monoterpene into functionally divergent chemical spaces. For example, Aspergillus niger DSM 821 and Corynespora cassiicola DSM 62475 can convert (±)-linalool into furanoid and pyranoid linalool oxides, while A. niger DSM 821 and Botrytis cinerea additionally produce lilac aldehydes and lilac alcohols as byproducts through a pathway postulated to proceed via 8-hydroxylinalool. Furanoid linalool oxide is electroantennographically active in bee pollinators and attracts hoverflies, while lilac aldehyde acts as a repellent to the same hoverfly species. Thus, fungal biotransformations can generate compounds with opposing semiochemical functions within the same receiver community. Plant VOCs, in turn, shape phyllosphere microbial community composition, establishing bidirectional exchanges with direct consequences for herbivore, pollinator, and parasitoid perception.

linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0966842X26001605

Metarhizium – Insect Interactions: Implications for Nitrogen Cycling

Tang et al., 2026

Los hongos endófitos entomopatógenos desempeñan un doble papel ecológico como mutualistas de las plantas y patógenos de insectos. A través de esta doble función, transfieren a las plantas nitrógeno derivado de los insectos, contribuyendo de manera significativa al ciclo del nitrógeno en los ecosistemas. Sin embargo, los mecanismos que regulan esta transferencia han permanecido poco explorados.

En este estudio, los autores demuestran que el consorcio planta-hongo formado por la especie ampliamente distribuida Metarhizium robertsii constituye un modelo idóneo para comprender la biología y el funcionamiento ecológico de los hongos endófitos entomopatógenos. Los resultados muestran que este hongo es capaz de degradar la caulilexina C, un compuesto antifúngico producido por las raíces de las plantas, generando como producto el compuesto volátil 1-metoxiindol, cuya función ecológica no había sido descrita previamente.

El 1-metoxiindol actúa como un potente atrayente de insectos. En particular, es detectado por el receptor olfativo Or74a de las larvas de Drosophila melanogaster y atrae a diversas especies de dípteros hacia el sistema planta-Metarhizium. Una vez reclutados, estos insectos son infectados y consumidos por el hongo, lo que incrementa la transferencia de nitrógeno derivado de los insectos hacia las plantas asociadas.

Estos hallazgos revelan un mecanismo ecológico auto-reforzante que integra la química vegetal, el metabolismo fúngico y el comportamiento de los insectos. Este proceso fortalece la simbiosis planta-hongo y constituye una vía previamente desconocida mediante la cual los hongos endófitos entomopatógenos contribuyen al flujo y reciclaje del nitrógeno en los ecosistemas terrestres.

t.co/qpEXbwp2Ky