Microbial Corridors: Connectivity Between Plant Microbiomes and Building Microbiomes in Urban Settings

Urban microbiome research increasingly reveals that cities are dynamic habitats teeming with microbial life, shaped by complex interactions among humans, infrastructure, green spaces, and environmental factors. Historically, plant-associated microbiomes colonizing street trees, parks, and indoor vegetation, have been investigated separately from the microbiomes inhabiting buildings and other urban structures. However, emerging evidence suggests significant overlap and exchange between these microbial consortia, facilitated by shared airspace, surface contact, and the movement of air, water, animals, and people. Studies now demonstrate that green infrastructure can influence indoor microbiome diversity, while the materials and designs of urban structures filter or enable microbial flows. Yet, crucial questions remain about the pathways, regulators, and consequences of connectivity between plant and building microbiomes, especially as urban centres increasingly rely on nature-based solutions for environmental quality and resilience.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of the mechanisms, scale, and functional outcomes of microbial connectivity between plant and building microbiomes in urban settings. We seek to identify how microbial taxa and functions move and establish across the plant–building interface, which environmental or anthropogenic factors influence these exchanges, and what this means for ecosystem services, public health, and building performance. Attention will be given to questions such as: How do microbes disperse between urban vegetation and built environments? Which conditions, whether climatic, material, or design-related, promote or restrict these flows? What are the resulting impacts for urban ecological health, air quality, human wellbeing, and resilience to environmental stressors? By leveraging integrative approaches, from high-throughput multi-omics to spatial modelling and experimental manipulation, this Topic aims to build a predictive, actionable framework for managing microbial connectivity in cities.The scope of this Research Topic encompasses fundamental and applied research that bridges the plant and building microbiome domains across all urban systems and climate zones. Contributions may include but are not limited to:o Mechanisms of microbial dispersal between outdoor vegetation and built environmentso Influence of building materials, ventilation, and design on microbial connectivityo Role of green infrastructure (green roofs, living walls, parks, indoor plants) in shaping urban microbiome exchangeo Environmental filters, host selection, and the functional traits of microbes that traverse plant–building boundarieso Conceptual and modelling studies on the spatial structure and resilience of coupled urban microbiomesWe are especially interested in studies employing field surveys, laboratory experiments, multi-omics, modelling, network analyses, or theoretical approaches. Articles may include Original Research, Methods, Brief Reports, Reviews or Mini-Reviews, Perspectives, and Conceptual or Hypothesis papers that push forward theory, methodology, or application at this interdisciplinary urban microbial interface. Topic editors: Didier Técher, Bhanu Pandey, Jianwei Li Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78363/microbial-corridors-connectivity-between-plant-microbiomes-and-building-microbiomes-in-urban-settings