Drought legacy affects microbial community trait distributions related to moisture along a savannah grassland precipitation gradient

Ecosystem models commonly use stable-state assumptions to predict responses of soil microbial functions to environmental change. However, past climatic conditions can shape microbial functional responses resulting in a “legacy effect”. For instance, exposure to drier conditions in the field may shape how soil microbial communities respond to subsequent drought and drying and rewetting events. 
We investigated microbial tolerance to low moisture levels (“resistance”) and ability to recover after a drying and rewetting (DRW) perturbation (“resilience”) across a steep precipitation gradient in Texas, USA.
Although differences in precipitation regime did not result in differences in resistance and resilience of soil microbes, microbial communities appeared to be generally resilient and resistant across the gradient, suggesting that frequent exposure to drought had characterized the trait distributions of microbial communities. Moreover, microbial communities from historically drier s...