The interplay between soil structure, roots, and microbiota as a determinant of plant-soil feedback.

ABSTRACT: Plant-soil feedback (PSF) can influence plant community structure via changes in the soil microbiome. However, how these feedbacks depend on the soil environment remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that disintegrating a naturally aggregated soil may influence the outcome of PSF by affecting microbial communities. Furthermore, we expected plants to differentially interact with soil structure and the microbial communities due to varying root morphology. We carried out a feedback experiment with nine plant species (five forbs and four grasses) where the "training phase" consisted of aggregated versus disintegrated soil. In the feedback phase, a uniform soil was inoculated in a fully factorial design with soil washings from conspecific- versus heterospecific-trained soil that had been e

SUBMITTER: Bergmann J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6093149 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature