Networking in the Plant Microbiome

• Published in: PLoS biology Vol. 14; no. 2; p. e1002378
• Main Authors: van der Heijden, Marcel G. A., Hartmann, Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 12.02.2016; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Arabidopsis - microbiology; Biology; Biology and Life Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Ecosystem biology; Ecosystems; Environmental aspects; Experiments; Farm buildings; Farming; Funding; Genotype & phenotype; Leaves; Medicine and Health Sciences; Microbial colonies; Microbiota; Observations; Pathogens; Plant-pathogen relationships; Primer; Studies
• ISSN: 1545-7885; 1544-9173; 1545-7885
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002378

Almost all higher organisms, including plants, insects, and mammals, are colonized by complex microbial communities and harbor a microbiome. Emerging studies with plants reveal that these microbiomes are structured and form complex, interconnected microbial networks. Within these networks, different taxa have different roles, and keystone species have been identified that could be crucial for plant health and ecosystem functioning. A new paper in this issue of PLOS Biology by Agler et al. highlights the presence of microbial hubs in these networks that may act as mediators between the plant and its microbiome. A next major frontier is now to link microbiome composition to function. In order to do this, we present a number of hypothetical examples of how microbiome diversity and function potentially influence host performance.