Editorial: Microbial volatiles and communication

When it comes to methods, Bruisson et al. developed a bioassay designed to inves�gate vola�le-mediated interac�ons allowing for unidirec�onal exposure of a "receiver" microorganism to the vola�les of an "emi�ng" microorganism. Among their findings, the authors highlight that when the "receiver" Trichoderma simmonsii was exposed to vola�les emited by the fungal pathogens Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum, two and seven vola�le compounds, respec�vely, were no longer detected in the complex blend emited by the receiver prior to exposure to vola�les of the fungal pathogens. In addi�on, there were other vola�les for which a species-specific increase in abundance was observed. Haertl et al. developed an interdisciplinary methodological pla�orm to characterise both the skin microbiome and vola�lome. Because the skin microbiome produces many of the vola�les released from the human skin, it is important to understand the rela�onship between these two and how the applied vola�le and bacterial analysis may influence the results. For example, the co-occurrence of certain skin bacteria and vola�les released by the skin depended on the method used and was only significant for one of the four methods tested. The authors give several sugges�ons on how to improve sampling techniques and consequently the results.Recent studies shed light on the role of microbial vola�les as signalling molecules in microbial communi�es and suggest that diversity and compe��on may influence intra-and in...