Plant species identity legacy

Multi-species swards have demonstrated numerous positive diversity effects on aboveground plant performance, such as yield, N concentration and even legacy effects. Whether such diversity effects are also seen in the soil microbiome is currently unclear. This study (a field experiment) reports the effect that different plant species (a grass, forb and a legume), and mixtures of these, had on soil fungal and bacterial community structure, as well as their associated legacy effects under a following crop of Lolium multiflorum. It utilized differing sward types; three monocultures (Lolium perenne, Cichorium intybus and Trifolium pratense) and their two- and three species mixtures. Soil samples were taken from these swards in March (the end of the conditioning phase) and three times under a following crop of Lolium multiflorum (the legacy samplings; June, August and September).