The role of phages in plant-associated microbial communities

Microbial communities deliver essential functions in ecosystems. In plant environments, the plant microbiome facilitates nutrient uptake, supports plants during abiotic stress, and counteracts disease. As implementation of synthetic microbial communities becomes more of a realistic strategy for mitigating the effects of biotic and abiotic stressors on plant productivity, it is increasingly important to understand how interactions between microbes, which are essential for ecosystem function (hub microbes), are maintained. Recent research highlights the ecological role of bacteriophages, the viruses of bacteria, in host-associated microbial communities. Current evidence demonstrates the influence of the phageome on microbiomes, ranging from effects on an individual (transduction, lysogenic conversion, and evolutionary pressure) to entire populations and communities, such as Kill-the-Winner dynamics. These dynamics appear to affect the overall function of microbial communities and support plant growth. In this review, we lay out recent insights on the role of bacteriophages in plant-associated microbiomes through an eco-evolutionary lens and future directions of research to broaden our understanding of the ecological implications of bacteriophages.