Ecological Modules Link Soil Aggregate Stability, Chemical Properties and Fungal Communities Under Plant...

The establishment of native grassland species is widely implemented on abandoned land as a strategy to restore degraded soils. However, its effects on soil properties are highly species-specific, as plant-driven physicochemical changes subsequently reshape microbial community structure. The linkages between soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities following native grassland establishment remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we examined the effects of 11 native grassland species on soil physicochemical properties and fungal community structure. Using co-occurrence network analysis, we elucidate how plants drive fungal community reorganisation through soil-mediated trophic pathways. The results showed that soil aggregate stability, chemical properties, and fungal communities differed significantly among the 11 species. Soil chemical properties, such as pH and EC, correlated with symbiotic fungi dominated modules; both soil aggregate stability and chemical properties were linked to pathogenic fungi dominated modules, while saprophytic fungi dominated modules displayed no linkage to either soil aggregate stability or chemical properties. These findings establish that fungal trophic modes govern species-dependent restoration outcomes via modular soil-microbe linkages, thereby offering predictive frameworks for species-specific management of abandoned soils.