Chapter 10 : Bacterium-Plant Symbioses: Microbiotas of Plants

Abstract:

Like humans, plants play host to bacterial communities of various compositions depending on their location on the plant. These communities are generally restricted to just a few bacterial phyla: Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. The root microbiota acquires its members from the surrounding soil but also depends on factors from the plant itself. In the same way, the microbial communities present on the surface of plant leaves depend on the substrates available. Like those in leaves, root microbiotas provide protection from pathogens, but they also perform other roles, including the acquisition of beneficial nutrients from the soil to sustain the plant. Plant microbiotas appear to be involved in a form of mutualism important to the plant's growth and well-being. They allow the plant to adapt to a wide variety of environments.