Data from: Legume life history interacts with land use degradation of rhizobia: Implications for restoration success

Restoration of soil microbial communities, and microbial mutualists in
particular, is increasingly recognized as critical for the successful
restoration of grassland plant communities. Although the positive effects
of restoring arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi during restoration of these
systems have been well-documented, less is known about the potential
importance of nitrogen-fixing rhizobium bacteria, which associate with
legume plant species that comprise an essential part of grassland plant
communities, to restoration outcomes. In a series of greenhouse and field
experiments, we examined the effects of disturbance on rhizobium
communities, how plant interactions with these mutualists changed with
disturbance, and whether rhizobia can be used to enhance the establishment
of desirable native legume species in degraded grasslands. We found that
agricultural disturbance alters rhizobium communities in ways that affect
the growth and survival of legume species. Native legume species derived
more benefit from interacting with rhizobia than did non-native species,
regardless of rhizobia disturbance history. Additionally, slow-growing,
long-lived legume species received more benefits from associating with
rhizobia from undisturbed native grasslands than from associating with
rhizobia from more disturbed sites. Together, this suggests that native
rhizobia may be key to enhancing the restoration success of legumes in
disturbed habitats.