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Plant community composition steers grassland vegetation via soil legacy effects
Author(s) -
Heinen Robin,
Hannula S. Emilia,
De Long Jonathan R.,
Huberty Martine,
Jongen Renske,
Kielak Anna,
Steinauer Katja,
Zhu Feng,
Bezemer T. Martijn
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.13497
Subject(s) - forb , grassland , plant community , vegetation (pathology) , abiotic component , ecology , plant ecology , environmental science , agronomy , biology , ecological succession , medicine , pathology
Soil legacy effects are commonly highlighted as drivers of plant community dynamics and species co‐existence. However, experimental evidence for soil legacy effects of conditioning plant communities on responding plant communities under natural conditions is lacking. We conditioned 192 grassland plots using six different plant communities with different ratios of grasses and forbs and for different durations. Soil microbial legacies were evident for soil fungi, but not for soil bacteria, while soil abiotic parameters did not significantly change in response to conditioning. The soil legacies affected the composition of the succeeding vegetation. Plant communities with different ratios of grasses and forbs left soil legacies that negatively affected succeeding plants of the same functional type. We conclude that fungal‐mediated soil legacy effects play a significant role in vegetation assembly of natural plant communities.