Tree seedling functional traits mediate plant-soil feedback survival responses across a gradient of light availability.

ABSTRACT: 1. Though not often examined together, both plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) and functional traits have important influences on plant community dynamics and could interact. For example, seedling functional traits could impact seedling survivorship responses to soils cultured by conspecific versus heterospecific adults. Furthermore, levels of functional traits could vary with soil culturing source. In addition, these relationships might shift with light availability, which can affect trait values, microbe abundance, and whether mycorrhizal colonization is mutualistic or parasitic to seedlings. 2. To determine the extent to which functional traits mediate PSFs via seedling survival, we conducted a field experiment. We planted seedlings of four temperate tree species across a gradient of light ava

SUBMITTER: Wood KEA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10681222 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature