The effects of spatial distance from the plant on different components of plant-soil feedback

The results of this study suggest that the distance from cultivated plants (along together with the decreasing number of plant roots) has a significant impact both on soil abiotic properties but also on the richness, abundance, biomass and composition of fungal, bacterial, and nematode communities. Contrary to our expectations, there was no significant relationship between the abundance of fungal pathogens and distance from cultivated plants. Moreover, there was a strong decrease in the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and nematodes (the most mobile part of soil biota). Surprisingly, the pattern of these soil changes was largely similar among our two contrasting soil types and four plant species or their combinations. This suggests that our results may be generalized to other systems and contribute to better understanding of the mechanisms of plant-soil feedbacks (PSF).