---
res:
  bibo_abstract:
  - Plant tropisms enable roots to navigate complex soils by responding to directional
    environmental cues. Biological decay, although central to nutrient cycling, also
    creates microbially active and potentially hostile niches. In this work, we identified
    “saprotropism,” a previously unrecognized growth response that enables roots to
    actively bend away from decaying plant-derived matter. Fungal-driven microbial
    decomposition released organic acids and formed stable pH gradients in surrounding
    soil, allowing roots to pinpoint decay without direct contact. Root epidermal
    cells sensed this acidic gradient through the root meristem growth factor peptide-receptor
    module, converting external pH asymmetry into asymmetric abscisic acid (ABA) distribution.
    ABA asymmetry drove microtubule reorganization, which was decoded into decay-avoidant
    root bending. Together, these findings establish microbial decay–derived chemical
    gradients as an instructive signal for root navigation and expand the framework
    of microbe-soil-plant communication.@eng
  bibo_authorlist:
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Zhulatai
      foaf_name: Bao, Zhulatai
      foaf_surname: Bao
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Huihui
      foaf_name: Wang, Huihui
      foaf_surname: Wang
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Ai
      foaf_name: Zhang, Ai
      foaf_surname: Zhang
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Ruxi
      foaf_name: Gao, Ruxi
      foaf_surname: Gao
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Wen
      foaf_name: Gu, Wen
      foaf_surname: Gu
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Ni
      foaf_name: Fan, Ni
      foaf_surname: Fan
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Jiří
      foaf_name: Friml, Jiří
      foaf_surname: Friml
      foaf_workInfoHomepage: http://www.librecat.org/personId=4159519E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
    orcid: 0000-0002-8302-7596
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Yuzhou
      foaf_name: Zhang, Yuzhou
      foaf_surname: Zhang
  bibo_doi: 10.1126/science.adw6568
  bibo_issue: '6807'
  bibo_volume: 393
  dct_date: 2026^xs_gYear
  dct_isPartOf:
  - http://id.crossref.org/issn/0036-8075
  - http://id.crossref.org/issn/1095-9203
  dct_language: eng
  dct_publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science@
  dct_title: Roots navigate around decay regions by sensing local pH gradients@
  fabio_hasPubmedId: '42424472'
...