Rhizosphere microbiome in trees: Ecological roles, biocontrol potential, and implications for forest health monitoring

Abstract

The rhizosphere microbiome—a dynamic community of bacteria, fungi, archaea, viruses and other microscopic organisms interacting with tree roots—is fundamental to forest health, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem resilience. This review synthesizes current knowledge of its ecological roles, highlighting mechanisms whereby root exudates and mycorrhizal networks shape microbial assembly to enhance nutrient acquisition and carbon sequestration. Critically, microbial consortia suppress soil-borne pathogens through antagonism, antimicrobial production, and niche competition, underpinning natural biocontrol in forests. Advances in multi-omics elucidate intricate bacterial-fungal interactions and functional gene dynamics driving these processes. We emphasize the microbiome's capacity to buffer trees against abiotic stresses and biotic threats, thereby supporting afforestation and climate adaptation. However, translating lab insights to field applications faces challenges from ecosystem heterogeneity, host-specific microbial recruitment, and unresolved niche differentiation across forest successional stages. Harnessing rhizosphere microbiomes thus offers transformative potential for sustainable forest management amid global change. Future research must prioritize leveraging defined consortia for targeted biocontrol, optimizing soil-tree-microbe feedbacks, and integrating multi-omics with ecological modeling to enable real-time forest health monitoring.