Fire effects on soil biota alter the strength and direction of plant-soil feedbacks between Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash and Rudbeckia hirta L.

Background and aim: Plant soil feedbacks (PSF) are reciprocal mechanisms through which plants modify soil biota and affect future plant growth.  When scaled up to the community level, PSFs are important determinants of above- and belowground community dynamics that influence long-term successional trajectories.  Despite over three decades of ecological PSF research, we have a poor understanding of how common environmental processes like fire influence the strength and direction of PSFs. 
Method: In this work we evaluated how fire effects on Schizachyrium scoparium and Rudbeckia hirta trained soil biota influenced feedbacks on plant growth.  We tested this by experimentally manipulating fires and evaluating plant growth responses to burned and unburned inter- and intraspecific soil biota treatments. 
Result: Fire effects on inocula neutralized negative feedbacks in S. scoparium, and caused negative feedbacks in R. hirta.  This shows that environmental disturbance like fire can alter the ..., , , # Data from: Fire effects on soil biota alter the strength and direction of plant-soil feedbacks

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jh9w0vtjc](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jh9w0vtjc)

Plant and Soil Journal

Dr. Jacob R. Hopkins and Dr. Alison E. Bennett

Background and aims: Plant soil feedbacks (PSF) are reciprocal mechanisms through which plants modify soil biota and affect future plant growth. When scaled up to the community level, PSFs are important determinants of above- and belowground community dynamics that influence long-term successional trajectories. Despite over three decades of ecological PSF research, we have a poor understanding of how common environmental processes like fire influence the strength and direction of PSFs.

Methods: In this work we evaluated how fire effects on Schizachyrium scoparium and Rudbeckia hirta trained soil biota influenced feedbacks on plant growth. We tested this by experimentally manipulating fires and evaluating plant growth responses to b...