Endophytes shape the legacy left by the above- and below ground litter of the host affecting the establishment of a legume

Plant litter is a key component of plant-soil feedback (PSF), given its strong potential impacts on plant establishment and growth, through chemical and physical pathways. Although PSF of the layer of dead plant material on the soil surface (aboveground litter) has been widely studied little is known about the role of dead roots (belowground litter) and the impact of plant symbionts on host litter legacy. Here, we examined whether the fungal endophyte Epichloë occultans changed the effects of above and belowground litter of Lolium multiflorum plants on the establishment of Trifolium repens. We hypothesized that both types of litter deposited by the grass-endophyte symbiosis reduce the establishment of the legume due to the release of allelopathic compounds during the decomposition and leaching processes. To test this, we performed two experiments with different quantities of litter produced by plants of the same grass population, with high and low levels of endophyte infection (E+ and E...