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1. Drylands are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world because of the effects of global change and because they are not particularly resilient. Regeneration after disturbance is quite slow and secondary succession can be delayed to the point of nearly stop. This is exacerbated when the community is strongly dominated by a single species able to quickly respond after disturbance. One example of such monospecific dominance is the colonization of abandoned fields in SE Spain by an early successional and native tussock grass, Lygeum spartum, that seems to halt succession. 2. Here we tested the competitive ability of Lygeum against Salsola oppositifolia, a shrub species that can be found interspersed with Lygeum in mid‐successional stages, and assessed how plant–soil interactions mediate the outcome of plant– plant competition. To do so, we sowed seeds and grew plants of Lygeum and Salsola in either intra‐ or interspecific competition under controlled conditions using sterile field soils inoculated with either live (i.e., with micro‐organisms) or sterile soil extracts from the understories of either Lygeum or Salsola. Soil nutrient content, seed germination rate, and shoot mass growth were determined after 5 months, and soil bacterial communities were characterized by sequencing. 3. Lygeum soil micro‐organisms and soil properties, such as the high content of N and organic matter, enhanced seed germination rate of Lygeum individuals. By contrast, Salsola adults outperformed Lygeum when growing in interspecific competition. 4. Synthesis. The enhanced competitive ability of Lygeum, which was mediated by soil micro‐organisms, may lead to complete dominance of Lygeum in the plant community right after abandonment of agricultural fields. However, when the plant community is already developed, Lygeum would be unable to enforce such dominance. We conclude that positive plant–soil feedbacks combined with certain plant traits such as clonal growth support the strong res

Feedbacks between plants and soil microbial communities play an important role in vegetation dynamics, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we show that the diversity of putative pathogenic, mycorrhizal, and saprotrophic fungi is a primary regulator of plant-soil feedbacks across a broad range of temperate grassland plant species. We show that plant species with resource-acquisitive traits, such as high shoot nitrogen concentrations and thin roots, attract diverse communities of putative fungal pathogens and specialist saprotrophs, and a lower diversity of mycorrhizal fungi, resulting in strong plant growth suppression on soil occupied by the same species. Moreover, soil properties modulate feedbacks with fertile soils, promoting antagonistic relationships between soil fungi and plants. This study advances our capacity to predict plant-soil feedbacks and vegetation dynamics by revealing fundamental links between soil properties, plant resource acquisition strategies, and the diversity of fungal guilds in soil.

Feedbacks between plants and soil microbial communities play an important role in vegetation dynamics, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we show that the diversity of putative pathogenic, mycorrhizal, and saprotrophic fungi is a primary regulator of plant-soil feedbacks across a broad range of temperate grassland plant species. We show that plant species with resource-acquisitive traits, such as high shoot nitrogen concentrations and thin roots, attract diverse communities of putative fungal pathogens and specialist saprotrophs, and a lower diversity of mycorrhizal fungi, resulting in strong plant growth suppression on soil occupied by the same species. Moreover, soil properties modulate feedbacks with fertile soils, promoting antagonistic relationships between soil fungi and plants. This study advances our capacity to predict plant-soil feedbacks and vegetation dynamics by revealing fundamental links between soil properties, plant resource acquisition strategies, and the diversity of fungal guilds in soil.

Feedbacks between plants and soil microbial communities play an important role in vegetation dynamics, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we show that the diversity of putative pathogenic, mycorrhizal, and saprotrophic fungi is a primary regulator of plant-soil feedbacks across a broad range of temperate grassland plant species. We show that plant species with resource-acquisitive traits, such as high shoot nitrogen concentrations and thin roots, attract diverse communities of putative fungal pathogens and specialist saprotrophs, and a lower diversity of mycorrhizal fungi, resulting in strong plant growth suppression on soil occupied by the same species. Moreover, soil properties modulate feedbacks with fertile soils, promoting antagonistic relationships between soil fungi and plants. This study advances our capacity to predict plant-soil feedbacks and vegetation dynamics by revealing fundamental links between soil properties, plant resource acquisition strategies, and the diversity of fungal guilds in soil.

Feedbacks between plants and soil microbial communities play an important role in vegetation dynamics, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we show that the diversity of putative pathogenic, mycorrhizal, and saprotrophic fungi is a primary regulator of plant-soil feedbacks across a broad range of temperate grassland plant species. We show that plant species with resource-acquisitive traits, such as high shoot nitrogen concentrations and thin roots, attract diverse communities of putative fungal pathogens and specialist saprotrophs, and a lower diversity of mycorrhizal fungi, resulting in strong plant growth suppression on soil occupied by the same species. Moreover, soil properties modulate feedbacks with fertile soils, promoting antagonistic relationships between soil fungi and plants. This study advances our capacity to predict plant-soil feedbacks and vegetation dynamics by revealing fundamental links between soil properties, plant resource acquisition strategies, and the diversity of fungal guilds in soil.