Review: Plant–microbiome interactions: from community assembly to plant health (Nat. Rev. Microbiol)

The association of plants with communities of beneficial microbes,  called plant microbiota, has a positive effect on growth and proliferation of both organisms. Recent findings in plant microbiota research uncovered the role of individual microbes and associated genes during plant-microbe interaction at a community level, showing similar taxa of microbes and related genes shared between the vast majority of plants and microbes. In this paper, Trivedi et al. reviewed the mechanisms that drive the assembly of plant associated microbiomes at the community level. The authors reported a detailed illustration of the structure of bacterial and fungal communities at various plant-associated niches and uncovered the role of diverse plant parts in shaping the composition of the microbiota. The authors also showed the role of ‘hub’ microorganisms present within ‘core’ microbiota in mediating the association between plants and microbes. Additionally, the authors discussed the mechanism underlying the assembly of microbiota community and colonization of plants. (Summary by Sunita Pathak, @psunita980) Nature Reviews Microbiol.  10.1038/s41579-020-0412-1