Phyllosphere microbiome: Diversity and functions

Phyllosphere or aerial surface of plants represents the globally largest and peculiar microbial habitat that inhabits diverse and rich communities of bacteria, fungi, viruses, cyanobacteria, actinobacteria, nematodes, and protozoans. These hyperdiverse microbial communities are related to the host's specific functional traits and influence the host's physiology and the ecosystem's functioning. In the last few years, significant advances have been made in unravelling several aspects of phyllosphere microbiology, including diversity and microbial community composition, dynamics, and functional interactions. This review highlights the current knowledge about the assembly, structure, and composition of phyllosphere microbial communities across spatio-temporal scales, besides functional significance of different microbial communities to the plant host and the surrounding environment. The knowledge will help develop strategies for modelling and manipulating these highly beneficial microbial consortia for furthering scientific inquiry into their interactions with the host plants and also for their useful and economic utilization.