Effects of precipitation regime on soil bacterial and fungal activity upon rewetting of a plant-soil system using 18O-SIP: depth matters

EASPEBIOmEDOCT INRA; Climate change is predicted to affect not only the amount but also the temporal distribution of rain. Changes in frequency and amplitude of rain events, likely shape the activity of plants and soil microbes. Fluctuating water conditions will differ with soil depth between precipitation patterns, affecting plant growth and may result in differential microbial response upon rewetting. Our objective was to investigate, in plant-soil systems, the response of the metabolically active microbial communities to a rewetting event and to which extent this was modulated by 1) soil depth and 2) precipitation legacy. Wheat planted in soil mesocosms were subjected to frequent or infr…