The Microbiome of Desert CAM Plants: Lessons From Amplicon Sequencing and Metagenomics

Phylogenetic profiling and metagenomics of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants from North America have revealed diverse and structured microbial communities with core microbial taxa in each plant compartment. In silico functional analyses suggest that microorganisms in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere of CAM plants differentially benefit their host plants to succeed in drylands.