Abstracts |
Microbial symbioses are ubiquitous in nature; from protists to humans, all plants and animals are inhabited by microbes that comprise the majority of global biodiversity. In the past two decades, an increasing number of studies have shown that many plant-associated fungi, including foliar ascomycetes, dark septate endophytes (DSEs), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes, and sebacinalean endophytes, as well as a few phytopathogenic fungi and neutral fungi living in soil ecosystems, harbor phylogenetically diverse bacteria in both epihyphal and endohyphal forms. These bacteria are affiliated to Alpha-, Beta-, Gammaproteobacteria, Mollicutes, Bacillaceae, Chitinophaga, and others, and are known to alter host morphology, sporulation, metabolite production, and even other properties involved in interactions with plants. However, symbiotic partners are generally regarded as separate individuals, which has limited the comprehensive assessment of the interaction mechanisms within these holobiont systems. |