Fungal communities of annual and perennial plant species
In this two-phase greenhouse study on plant-soil feedbacks, we first examined fungal community development (ITS2-data) in rhizosphere soil of 18 annual and perennial forb species and, in the second phase, tested how the developed soil communities affected plant growth of all 18 plant species. We then linked these plant-soil feedback effects to variation in structural root traits among the different plant species, and tested whether differences in fungal pathogen accumulation explained observed differences in the strength of negative plant-soil feedbacks.