Dynamic plant-soil microbe interactions: the neglected effect of soil conditioning time

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Plant Ecology
• Soil Science

Background:

• Plant-soil feedback (PSF) is crucial for plant community structure.
• Temporal dynamics of PSF over individual plant lifespans are understudied.
• Understanding how plant age influences soil microbial communities and subsequent feedback is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate temporal changes in plant-soil feedback (PSF) over 20 years.
• To quantify the impact of age-dependent soil microbial communities on seedling performance.
• To explore the consequences of temporally varying PSF on plant community assembly.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a coastal dune chronosequence based on aerial photographs to track plant and soil changes over time.
• Characterized soil microbial community shifts associated with four dominant perennial plant species.
• Conducted glasshouse experiments to assess seedling performance in soils conditioned by plants of different ages.
• Employed an individual-based model to simulate the effects of temporal PSF variation on community dynamics.

Main Results:

• Soil microbial communities associated with all studied plant species changed significantly with plant age.
• The impact of soil biota on seedling performance varied by species; nonlegumes experienced increasingly negative feedback with soil conditioning time.
• Model simulations indicated that temporal PSF variation influences plant community assembly dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Plant-soil feedback is not static and varies over the lifespan of individual plants.
• The identity of plant species, particularly legume versus nonlegume, mediates the direction and strength of temporal PSF.
• Temporal variation in PSF is a significant factor that must be considered for a comprehensive understanding of plant community structure and dynamics.