Though we are learning more about the diversity, dynamics, and importance of phyllosphere microbiota, we have only modest knowledge about the microorganisms that specifically inhabit flowers. Due to their ephemerality and exquisite anatomy, flowers provide unique habitats to microorganisms, including a range of distinct microscale niches. Here, we review the recent literature concerning community composition and diversity in the flower microbiota, the spatial and temporal community dynamics, and the interactions between flower microbes, their plant hosts, and pollinators. We conclude with future directions for improving our understanding of this emerging frontier in phyllosphere microbial ecology.

Soil is likely the most complex ecosystem on earth. Despite the global importance and extraordinary diversity of soils, they have been notoriously challenging to study. We show how pioneering microfluidic techniques provide new ways of studying soil microbial ecology by allowing simulation and manipulation of chemical conditions and physical structures at the microscale in soil model habitats.

SummaryData generated from next generation sequencing (NGS) will soon comprise the majority of information about arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities. Although these approaches give deeper insight, analysing NGS data involves decisions that can significantly affect results and conclusions. This is particularly true for AMF community studies, because much remains to be known about their basic biology and genetics.During a workshop in 2013, representatives from seven research groups using NGS for AMF community ecology gathered to discuss common challenges and directions for future research. Our goal was to improve the quality and accessibility of NGS data for the AMF research community. Discussions spanned sampling design, sample preservation, sequencing, bioinformatics and data archiving.With concrete examples we demonstrated how different approaches can significantly alter analysis outcomes. Failure to consider the consequences of these decisions may compound bias introduced at each step along the workflow.The products of these discussions have been summarized in this paper in order to serve as a guide for any researcher undertaking NGS sequencing of AMF communities.