Bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) play a surprisingly powerful role in shaping the microbial communities living around plant roots and leaves — communities that help plants absorb nutrients, survive drought, and fight disease. Understanding how phages regulate these microbial networks could lead to better ways to protect crops and gardens without chemicals.
1
Bacteriophages shape plant-associated microbiomes through multiple mechanisms including transduction, lysogenic conversion, and evolutionary pressure on bacterial hosts.
2
Kill-the-Winner dynamics — where phages preferentially attack whichever bacterial species becomes dominant — help maintain microbial diversity across entire communities, not just individual interactions.
3
Maintaining microbial diversity via phage activity appears to support plant growth, suggesting phages are functionally important to plant health outcomes, not merely passive bystanders.
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