Persistent legacy effects on soil microbiota facilitate plant adaptive responses to drought.

ABSTRACT: Both chronic and acute drought alter the composition and physiology of soil microbiota by selecting for functional traits that preserve fitness in dry conditions. Currently, little is known about how the resulting precipitation legacy effects manifest at the molecular and physiological levels and how they influence neighboring plants, especially in the context of subsequent drought. We characterized metagenomes of six prairie soils spanning a steep precipitation gradient in Kansas, USA. By statistically controlling for variation in soil porosity and elemental profiles, we identified bacterial taxa and functional gene categories associated with precipitation. This microbial precipitation legacy persisted through a 5-month-long experimental drought and mitigated the negative physiological ef

SUBMITTER: Ginnan NA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11383273 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature