Changing soil legacies to direct restoration of plant communities.

E Pernilla Brinkman,Wim H Van Der Putten,Wietse De Boer,Ciska E Raaijmakers

doi:10.1093/aobpla/plx038

E Pernilla Brinkman, Wim H Van Der Putten + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plx038

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Abstract

It is increasingly acknowledged that soil biota may influence interactions among plant species; however, little is known about how to change historical influences of previous land management on soil biota, the so-called 'biotic soil legacy effect'. We used a two-phase plant community-soil feedback approach to study how plant species typical to original (i.e. undisturbed) and degraded fen meadows may influence effects of the soil community on Carex species that are dominant in fen meadows. In phase 1, soil from original, degraded, successfully and unsuccessfully restored fen meadows was conditioned by growing plants typical to original or to degraded fen meadows. In phase 2, interactions between Carex and neighbouring plant species were studied to quantify plant community-soil feedback effects in different neighbour plant mixtures. Soil conditioning with plants typical to original fen meadows resulted in significantly more Carex biomass than with plants typical to degraded fen meadows. These effects were strongest when the soil originated from unsuccessfully restored fen meadows. However, biomass of plants typical of degraded fen meadows was also higher in soil conditioned by typical fen meadow plants. We conclude that soil legacy effects of plants from degraded fen meadows can be altered by growing typical fen meadow plant species in that soil, as this enhances priority effects that favour growth of other typical fen meadow plants. As also plant species from degraded fen meadows benefitted from soil conditioning, further studies are needed to reveal if plant species can be chosen that change negative soil legacy effects for rare and endangered fen meadow plant species, but not for plant species that are typical to degraded fen meadows.

Highlights

Changing abiotic soil conditions, such as reducing soil fertility and restoring original groundwater levels, has been shown insufficient to restore the characteristic plant community of species-rich grasslands (Marrs 1985; Grootjans et al 2002)
We focused on plant community-soil feedback effects to plants that are expected to become dominant in restored fen meadows
The concentration of the mycorrhiza-specific neutral lipid fatty acids (NLFA 16:1ω5) was significantly higher in soils that were conditioned with plants from original than from degraded fen meadows [see Supporting Information—Table S3]

Summary

Introduction

Changing abiotic soil conditions, such as reducing soil fertility and restoring original groundwater levels, has been shown insufficient to restore the characteristic plant community of species-rich grasslands (Marrs 1985; Grootjans et al 2002). We focus on biological measures, asking whether plants can be used to change the soil community to favour restoration of flora characteristic of undisturbed, species-rich wet grasslands (Wardle et al 2004; Kardol and Wardle 2010). Plants can induce soil legacy effects through changes in the composition of the associated soil community, which in turn influences the growth of the same or other plants (Bever 1994; Van der Putten et al 2013). Plant-soil feedback effects might be employed to restore the original plant communities of degraded ecosystems that have become dominated by early successional plant species (Kardol and Wardle 2010). The aim of the present study was to assess if soil biota may be influenced to contribute to the restoration of degraded fen meadow associations (Cirsio dissecti-Molinietum) that have largely declined in Europe (Klimkowska et al 2007)

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