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Aims <p>Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) are critical drivers of plant community assembly and succession. However, the microbial mechanisms that govern these PSFs and drive species replacement during saline-alkali grassland succession remain poorly understood.</p> Methods <p>We first evaluated PSF effects using comparisons of the growth performance of dominant early- (<i>Suaeda glauca</i>), mid- (<i>Chloris virgata</i>) and late- (<i>Leymus chinensis</i>) successional plants in conspecific versus heterospecific soils.&#xa0;Partial least squares structural equation&#xa0;modelling (PLS-SEM)&#xa0;was subsequently used to identify the key microbial pathways that shape PSFs. Finally, a fungal inoculation experiment was conducted to reveal the interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophyte (DSE) and their species-specific effects on plant performance.</p> Results <p>Negative PSFs facilitated the invasion of early- and mid-successional species, whereas a strong positive PSF maintained the dominance of late-successional species. Compared with late-successional species, early-successional species presented 23.9% greater pathogen accumulation and 51.2% lower AMF dependency. Structural equation modelling (SEM) identified that the interaction between AMF and DSE as the key pathways governing these PSFs. Unlike the inhibitory interaction observed in the other two species, a neutral AMF-DSE relationship in <i>C. virgata</i> ultimately suppressed plant growth following inoculation.</p> Conclusions <p>Our findings indicate that root-fungal symbiotic interactions are a fundamental driver of secondary succession within degraded saline-alkali grassland ecosystems in northern China. The mid-successional species <i>C. virgata</i> functions as a key symbiotic reservoir during the transitional stage. This work redefines a mechanistic framework for secondary succession, directly informing novel strategies for restoring degraded grasslands through targeted management of fungal communities.</p>

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Plant-soil feedback driven by root-associated fungal communities accelerates the secondary succession of bare saline-alkaline grassland patches

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月26日

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  • Xiaona Zheng,
  • Yuhong Yin,
  • Dan Yang,
  • Jingjuan Bi,
  • Wenlong He,
  • Siya Li,
  • Xiao Liang,
  • Jigui Chen,
  • Rong Wang,
  • Zhiying Guo,
  • Xing Li,
  • Tao Zhang,
  • Ying Gao

摘要

Aims

Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) are critical drivers of plant community assembly and succession. However, the microbial mechanisms that govern these PSFs and drive species replacement during saline-alkali grassland succession remain poorly understood.

Methods

We first evaluated PSF effects using comparisons of the growth performance of dominant early- (Suaeda glauca), mid- (Chloris virgata) and late- (Leymus chinensis) successional plants in conspecific versus heterospecific soils. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was subsequently used to identify the key microbial pathways that shape PSFs. Finally, a fungal inoculation experiment was conducted to reveal the interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophyte (DSE) and their species-specific effects on plant performance.

Results

Negative PSFs facilitated the invasion of early- and mid-successional species, whereas a strong positive PSF maintained the dominance of late-successional species. Compared with late-successional species, early-successional species presented 23.9% greater pathogen accumulation and 51.2% lower AMF dependency. Structural equation modelling (SEM) identified that the interaction between AMF and DSE as the key pathways governing these PSFs. Unlike the inhibitory interaction observed in the other two species, a neutral AMF-DSE relationship in C. virgata ultimately suppressed plant growth following inoculation.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that root-fungal symbiotic interactions are a fundamental driver of secondary succession within degraded saline-alkali grassland ecosystems in northern China. The mid-successional species C. virgata functions as a key symbiotic reservoir during the transitional stage. This work redefines a mechanistic framework for secondary succession, directly informing novel strategies for restoring degraded grasslands through targeted management of fungal communities.