Data from: Root traits and soil legacies drive species competition outcomes
Data files
Jul 26, 2024 version files 94.37 KB
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Fulldata.xlsx
89.85 KB
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README.md
4.53 KB
Abstract
Plant competition can be affected by plant functional traits but also by differences in fitness mediated by soil microbes. Climatic conditions such as drought further influence plant competition. Yet little is known about how soil microbes and drought interact with species with distinct root traits differences and how this influences plant competition outcomes. We grew three plant species that co-occur in temperate grasslands in China (Stipa krylovii, Artemisia frigida, Agropyron cristatum) in monocultures and mixtures and subjected the plant combinations to five soil inocula (root-associated soil of S.krylovii, A.frigida, A.cristatum, an equal mixture of the three root zone soils, and sterilized soil) as well as to a drought treatment. The relative change in plant biomass was used to determine plant competition outcomes. The three species exhibited clear differences in competitive abilities with A.cristatum > S.krylovii > A.frigida, and soil inocula or the drought treatment did not change the order. The relative yield (RY) of plants was affected by soil inocula, drought and plant arrangement. The strongest competitor, A.cristatum, with high total root length, root surface area, and root volume experienced more negative biotic feedback, and drought enhanced the magnitude of these negative effects. On the contrary, the most inferior competitor, A.frigida, with high specific root length tended to have neutral or positive biotic feedback, and drought had no effect. Further, the RY and fitness difference (reflected as the competitive ability in the mixture) of the three species was differentially influenced by root traits and plant-soil feedback. RY of A.cristatum could be predicted by the feedback effect in the mixture, and the fitness difference was mainly related to root traits. Both RY and fitness differences of A.frigida (the weakest competitor) could be predicted by root trait differences and feedback effects. Differences in root traits were the best predictors of the intermediate competitor S.krylovii. Our study shows that competition outcomes of co-existing species depend on root traits and species-specific PSF effects in mixture. Future work should examine the mechanisms that explain how plant competition and soil microbial heterogeneity act in conjunction with climate change in influencing plant coexistence.
Experimental Procedures:
- Experimental Design:
- Objective: To evaluate how soil microbes and drought impact the competition between three plant species
- Plant Species: Stipa krylovii, Artemisia frigida, and Agropyron cristatum.
- Treatment Groups:
- Plant arrangement: monoculture and mixture
- Soil inocula: root zone soil of S.krylovii (SK), A.frigida (AF), A.cristatum (AC), the mixed root zone soil of the three species and sterilized MIX inocula
- Drought treatment: wet and dry
- Replications: Each treatment had 4 replicates.
- Methods:
- Soil Preparation: Soil was inoculated and water treatment with high and low amounts were added according to the treatment plan.
- Planting: Seeds of Stipa krylovii, Artemisia frigida, and Agropyron cristatum were sown in pots with treated soil.
- Growth Conditions: Plants were grown in a controlled environment with constant temperature, humidity, and light conditions.
- Measurements: Relative yield, PSF, dertabiomass, root traits
Results:
- Plant competition ability: The three species exhibited clear differences in competitive abilities with A.cristatum > S.krylovii > A.frigida, and soil inocula or the drought treatment did not change the order.
- The relative yield: The relative yield (RY) of plants was affected by soil inocula, drought and plant arrangement.
- Root traits and PSF: The strongest competitor, A.cristatum, with high total root length, root surface area, and root volume experienced more negative biotic feedback, and drought enhanced the magnitude of these negative effects. On the contrary, the most inferior competitor, A.frigida, with high specific root length tended to have neutral or positive biotic feedback, and drought had no effect.
**Files in Dataset: **In the Fulldata_xlsx, the following tabs are present:
- data_ Biotic-ΔPSF.csv:
- Columns: Species, Plant arrangement, Soil inocula, Biotic-ΔPSF
- Description: Contains measurements of Biotic-ΔPSF for all treatments and replicates.
- data_ Specific-ΔPSF.csv:
- Columns: Species, Plant arrangement, Soil inocula, Specific-ΔPSF
- Description: Contains the count of Specific-ΔPSF for all treatments and replicates.
- data_ BioticPSF-dertabiomass-RY.csv:
- Columns: Plant arrangement, species, Drought treatment, Soil inocula, PSFmix, PSFmono, dertabiomass, RY
- Description: Includes the average of BioticPSF, dertabimass, RY under all treatments.
- data_ SpecificPSF-dertabiomass-RY.csv:
- Columns: Species, Drought treatment, Plant arrangement, Soil inocula, PSFmix, PSFmono, dertabiomass, RY
- Description: Includes the average of SpecificPSF, dertabiomass, RY under all treatments.
- data_ FD and dertabiomass and RY.csv:
- Columns: Drought treatment, Soil inocula, Plant arrangement, Species, RY, dertabiomass, SRL, ARD, TRL, RTD, RSA, RV, Fdis
- Description: Includes the average of RY, dertabiomass, FDis for single and multiple root traits under all treatments.
- data_ Root traits.csv:
- Columns: Species, Soil inocula, Drought treatment, SRL, ARD, TRL, RTD, RSA, RV
- Description: Contains measurements for root traits for all treatments and replicates.
- data_ Average root traits.csv:
- Columns: Species, Soil inocula, Drought treatment, SRL, ARD , RTD, TRL, RSA, RV
- Description: Contains measurements for average root traits for all treatments and replicates.
- data_ Aboveground biomass.csv:
- Columns: Species, Plant arrangement, Drought treatment, Soil inocula Aboveground biomass
- Description: Contains measurements for Aboveground biomass of three species for all treatments and replicates
- data_ RY.csv:
- Columns: Species, Plant arrangement, Drought treatment, Soil inocula, RY
- Description: Contains measurements of RY for all treatments and replicates.
- data_ RYT.csv:
- Columns: Plant arrangement, Drought treatment, Soil inocula, RYT
- Description: Contains measurements of RYT for all treatments and replicates.
- data_ dertabiomass.csv:
- Columns: Drought treatment, Soil inocula, dertabiomass of SK-AF, dertabiomass of AC-AF, dertabiomass of AC-SK.
- Description: Contains measurements of dertabiomass for all treatments and replicates.