Drought legacy effects on soil microbial communities

One of the consequences of climate change is the increase in frequency and intensity of drought events in different ecosystems. Drought can have direct effects on soil microbial communities and also indirect effects through its effect on the plant species that cultivate these communities in their rhizospheres. This project aimed to test if the long-term drought legacy effects on soil microbial communities differ between plant species with contrasting growth strategies and between individuals of the common heather (Calluna vulgaris) at different growth stages. Soil samples were collected in June 2020 from a long-term drought experiment in Oldebroek, The Netherlands, and were analyzed by amplicon-sequencing for bacteria and fungi communities using Illumina sequencing (for 16S and ITS).