A fungal scent from the cheese

Assembly of microbial communities is shaped by various physical and chemical factors deriving from their environment, including other microbes inhabiting the certain niche. In addition to direct cell‐cell contacts, primary and secondary metabolites impact the growth of microbial community members. Metabolites might act as growth‐promoting (e.g. cross‐feeding), growth‐inhibiting (e.g. antimicrobials), or signaling molecules.

In multi‐species microbial assemblies, secreted metabolites might influence specific members of the community, altering species abundances and therefore the functioning of these microcosms. In the current issue, Cosetta and colleagues describe a unique volatile metabolite‐mediated cross‐kingdom interaction that shapes the cheese rind community assembly.

The study paves the way of our understanding how fungus‐produced volatile compounds promote the growth of a certain bacterial genus, a principal connection between community members of the cheese rind.