Assembly and ecological function of angiosperm root microbiota

Root-associated microbes were key for the evolution of land plants and underlie fundamental ecosystem processes. However, it is largely unknown how plant evolution has shaped root microbial communities, and in turn, how these microbes affect plant ecology, such as the ability to mitigate biotic and abiotic stressors. Here we investigate how variation among 30 angiosperm species, which have diverged for up to 140 million years, affects root bacterial diversity and composition. Next, we asked how root bacterial recruitment among plant species affects plant competition and drought tolerance.