Plant microbiome–an account of the factors that shape community composition and diversity

Abstract Plants live in association with diverse microorganisms, collectively called the microbiome. These microbes live either inside (endosphere) or outside (episphere) of plant tissues. With research on the interaction of the human microbiome with its host has come increasing awareness of the composition and functions of plant and soil microbiomes. It is evident now that soil and plant microbiomes play important roles in making soil nutrients more available to plants and helping them to become more resilient under various stresses. There has been substantial progress made in the study of plant microbiota in the last few years. Recent developments in metagenomics, sequencing technologies, bioinformatics analysis, and the establishment of microbiome culture collections have increased our knowledge of plant microbiome composition and diversity. The environmental factors that shape the composition of plant microbiomes are less well known. Here, current insights into the factors driving the assembly of plant microbial communities are discussed. First, we give an overview of the aboveground and belowground plant microbiomes. Next, we compile the literature on the driving factors for the composition and community structuring of plant microbiomes.