English: Evolutionary history of microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions

Evolutionary history of microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions. Microbial interactions are outlined at the evolutionary scale, showing that plant-microbe interactions occurred relatively recently compared to the more ancestral interactions among bacteria or between different microbial kingdoms. Both competitive (red) and cooperative (green) interactions within and between microbial kingdoms are depicted. Mya, million years ago.

Evolutionary divergence estimated from:

• Lücking R, Huhndorf S, Pfister DH, Plata ER, Lumbsch HT. Fungi evolved right on track. Mycologia. 2009;101:810–22. doi:10.3852/09-016.
• Heckman DS, Geiser DM, Eidell BR, Stauffer RL, Kardos NL, Hedges SB. Molecular evidence for the early colonization of land by fungi and plants. Science. 2001;293:1129–33. doi:10.1126/science.1061457.