As member of the Campus Biodiversity Network, @uni-konstanz.de will participate in this spring's Campus Nature Challenge, from 24-27 April 2026. Joining this network and challenge is free and still possible until early April! More info: campusnaturechallenge.org
Key message 2: Unlike expected, diversity did not predictably alter plant-soil feedback interactions between conspecific and heterospecific plant species, indicating that contributions of belowground host-specialists and host-generalists to plant-soil feedbacks were not clearly affected. (3/5)
Key message 1: the legacy effects on future plant performance that individual plants leave in the soil depend on the diversity of the surrounding plant community. (2/5)
In 2022, Louisa Neubauer set up her MSc-project to test whether two widely used antibiotics affect plant performance under ambient and drought conditions, either directly, or indirectly, through soil-community mediated effects. Results of this project are now out in Plant and Soil: bit.ly/4pC1IaC.
Very nice to revive my collaboration with Paolina Garbeva from @niooknaw.bsky.social and, together with Yan Chen (陈晏), write an opinion paper on the pathways of soil chemical legacies in plant-soil feedbacks, out now in @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social. Hope to follow this up with some experiments!
In new projects on this topic, I therefore use mesh pots to directly examine the influence of surrounding plant communities on soil conditioning effects of single plants, allowing the establishment of ‘regular’ two-phase plant-soil feedback experiments. (5/5). To be continued!
50-day free download link here: authors.elsevier.com/a/1n81O,L%7E...
Although interesting, the results were difficult to interpret (and the project required three experimental phases), especially because legacy effects of individual plants were likely also modified by changing competitive hierarchies with increasing plant diversity. (4/5)
Published last week in @oikosjournal.bsky.social: our paper on my last big experimental project from my previous position @uni-konstanz.de, in which we examined how plant diversity alters soil legacy effects of individual plants on plant-soil feedback interactions. doi.org/10.1002/oik..... (1/5)
Two advertisements for PhD projects in our group at @uni-konstanz.de, including one in my recently funded project on the role of soil biodiversity in plant responses to drought. Deadline on January 12th. Sharing would be appreciated! More info here: www.biologie.uni-konstanz.de/kleunen/news...
