Data from: Soil microbiomes underlie population persistence of an endangered plant species

Microbiomes can dramatically alter individual plant performance, yet how
these effects influence higher order processes is not well resolved. In
particular, little is known about how microbiome effects on individual
plants alter plant population dynamics, a question critical to imperiled
species conservation. Here, we integrate bioassays, multidecadal
demographic data, and integral projection modeling to determine how the
presence of the natural soil microbiome underlies plant population
dynamics. Simulations indicated that the presence of soil microbiomes
boosted population growth rates (λ) of the endangered Hypericum cumulicola
by 13% on average, the difference between population growth versus decline
in 76% of patches. The greatest benefit (47% increase in λ) occurred in
low nutrient, high elevation habitats, suggesting that the soil microbiome
may help expand H. cumulicola’s distribution to include these stressful
habitats. Our results demonstrate that soil microbiomes can significantly
affect plant population growth and persistence, and support the
incorporation of soil microbiomes into conservation planning. plant
population growth and persistence, and support the incorporation of soil
microbiomes into conservation planning.