Long-term drought persistently shifts plant and soil microbial communities but has limited impact on CO2 fluxes under subsequent drought

In this project, we sought to understand how drought legacy affects the response of a heathland ecosystem to a subsequent drought for two different Calluna life stages. Using a long-term drought field experiment, we quantified how CO2 fluxes, plant cover and soil microbial community responses to a new drought were affected by previous drought exposure during the first three years of a new drought. We compared plots mowed in 2013 or 2020, where Calluna was either at the seedling or at the building stage.