Counteracting effects of soil biota on emergence and growth of herbaceous plants

BackgroundPlants condition the biotic composition of their rhizosphere. In turn, this plant legacy on the soil biota may affect the performance of plants recruiting in their vicinity. Unravelling how plant-soil legacies drive plant recruitment is key to understand vegetation dynamics and plant community assembly. Studies on the topic usually focus on the effects of soil microbiota as a whole, while the relative role of different guilds of soil organisms in the plant recruitment processes is not usually dissected.AimsHere, we used soils of Mediterranean woody plant species to test whether arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and small-size microbiota (< 50 mu m) (MB) affect the germination success and growth of eight herbaceous plants.ResultsWe documented a significant increase in seedling emergence probability when small-sized MB was present and no effect of AMF. In contrast, the aboveground plant biomass decreased with the presence of MB and increased with that of AMF. Interestingly, those plants growing in the absence of MB and in soils from woody plants associated with higher AMF richness developed higher aboveground biomass.ConclusionThis study brings new evidence on how soil microbial communities can determine the performance of their associated herb community, and also, how the effects of different microbial guilds may change across the plant ontogeny. Given these results, the differential effect of soil microbial functional guilds should be considered to better understand plant soil legacies and feedbacks, potentially driving plant recruitment and community assembly.

Automated summary

This study found that soil microbial communities can affect plant growth and the formation of ecological communities. Specifically, higher associated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi promote aboveground biomass of plants, while small-sized soil microbiota inhibit plant growth. Considering the functional guilds of soil microbial communities is crucial for understanding plant-soil legacies, feedbacks, and plant community assembly.