Long term legacy effects of drought on soil fungal communities and soil multifunctionality

Here, a mesocosm experiment with four soil inocula with varying levels of fungal biomass was conducted in common-garden set-up to generalize the effects of drought across soil communities. In a fully factorial design, half of the mesocosms were subjected to severe naturally occurring summer drought of 2020 while half served as irrigated control. To investigate short term and long-term effects of drought on soil fungi and functions, fungal biomass and community structure and soil respiration were measured during drought period monthly and later every three months throughout the first year after drought. Soil (multi)functionality was measured with plant yields, aboveground interactions, respiration, and decomposition and related to soil fungal communities