Persistence of plant-mediated microbial soil legacy effects in soil and inside roots

Plant-soil feedbacks are shaped by microbial legacies that plants leave in
the soil. We tested the persistence of these legacies after subsequent
colonization by the same or other plant species. Soil fungal legacies were
detectable for months, but the current plant effect on fungi amplified in
time. Contrary, in bacterial communities, legacies faded away rapidly and
bacteria communities were influenced strongly by the current plant.
However, both fungal and bacterial legacies were conserved inside the
roots of the current plant species and their composition significantly
correlated with plant growth. Hence, microbial soil legacies present at
the time of plant establishment play a vital role in shaping plant growth
even when these legacies have faded away in the soil due the growth of the
current plant species. We conclude that soil microbiome legacies are
reversible and versatile, but that they can create plant-soil feedbacks
via altering the endophytic community acquired during early ontogeny.