Darwin21 Genome Database: A Curated Whole-Genome Repository of Endophytic Bacteria from Desert Plants

Microbial communities associated with desert plants play a pivotal role in enhancing host survival under extreme environmental stressors, including drought, salinity, and nutrient limitation. The Darwin21 Endophytic Microbial Collection is one of the largest curated repositories of 2,500 cultivable endophytic bacteria isolated from 23 native desert plant species across Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Pakistan. Representing a broad spectrum of arid microhabitats from inland deserts and mountain wadis to coastal mangroves and date palm oases, the collection supports integrative studies on microbial ecology and plant–microbe interactions in water-limited ecosystems. A central component of this initiative is the Darwin21 Genome Database, which currently hosts whole-genome sequences (WGS) of 534 endophytic bacterial isolates annotated with extensive ecological metadata, assembly statistics, functional traits, and host associations. The database interface provides tools for genome exploration, metadata filtering, and functional gene mining, enabling users to identify taxa and traits of agronomic interest, particularly for applications in sustainable agriculture and sustainable desert revegetation. By combining genomic, ecological, and functional data, the Darwin21 Genome Database serves as a foundational platform for the development of targeted microbial inoculants and fosters data-driven research into desert microbiomes and plant resilience mechanisms.