| Rhizospheric |
soil in close proximity to roots and its exudates |
| Rhizoplanic |
surface of plant roots |
| Phyllospheric (=epiphytes) |
surface of aerial parts of a plant |
| Endophytic (=endophytes) |
inside plant tissues without causing any apparent harm to plant host |
| Obligate |
living inside a plant during their entire lifespan |
| Facultative |
optionally living inside of a plant |
| Systemic (true) |
strictly symbiotic, non-pathogenic at any stage of its lifespan |
| Non-systemic (transient) |
live asymptomatically within plant for a part of their lifespan, can turn into pathogen when plant host is stressed or resource-limited |
| Competent |
successfully colonize plant, can alter its physiology and be selectively favored |
| Opportunistic |
occasionally enter a plant and benefit from its internal environment |
| Passenger |
enter a plant accidently in the absence of selective forces for efficient root colonization |
