The rhizosphere zoo: An overview of plant-associated communities of microorganisms, including phages, bacteria, archaea, and fungi, and of some of their structuring factors.

The article discusses some aspects of the taxonomical and functional microbial diversity of the rhizosphere. Rhizospheres are responsible for making a transition zone between the bulk soil and the plant root surface. According to botanists, bacteria residing in the rhizosphere most likely originate from the surrounding bulk soil and thrive under conditions prevailing in the neighbourhood of plant roots. Studies have concluded that microorganisms present in the rhizosphere play important roles in the growth and in ecological fitness of their plant host.