Ecological effects of root exudates from five plant species within a desert steppe community

Ecological effects of root exudates from five plant species within a desert steppe community | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 14 January 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Ecological effects of root exudates from five plant species within a desert steppe community Authors : leqing E 0009-0003-7000-8550 , Guodong Han , Jie Liu , and Xuefeng Gao [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176841935.58430959/v1 135 views 61 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Root exudates are important mediators of plant–soil–microbe interactions by influencing rhizosphere microbial communities and soil nutrient conditions. To elucidate the ecological effects of root exudates from different plant species within the same community, we collected five coexisting plant species from a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia, including one constructive species (Stipa breviflora), two dominant species (Artemisia frigida and Cleistogenes songorica), and two accompanying species (Convolvulus ammannii and Heteropappus altaicus). Root exudates were collected using a hydroponic approach and applied to in situ soil in a three-week incubation experiment. Changes in soil microbial communities were assessed using high-throughput sequencing, while major soil properties were determined using standard soil analyses. The addition of root exudates generally reduced bacterial diversity and significantly altered microbial community composition, while exerting relatively minor effects on fungal communities. Root exudate inputs also resulted in a decrease in soil pH and significant increases in available nitrogen and available phosphorus. Distinct ecological effects were observed among plant species, with plant species occupying similar functional positions exerting more similar influences on soil microbial communities and nutrient characteristics. Specifically, root exudates from the constructive and dominant species jointly promoted the enrichment of the phylum Actinobacteria, particularly Rubrobacter, Arthrobacter, and Solirubrobacter, taxa associated with nitrogen and phosphorus transformation processes, which coincided with increased soil nutrient availability. In contrast, root exudates from the accompanying species did not induce significant enrichment of Actinobacteria. Collectively, these results show that root exudates from different coexisting plant species differentially influence soil microbial communities and nutrient dynamics in desert steppe ecosystems. Supplementary Material File (figure.doc) Download 2.63 MB File (manuscript.doc) Download 2.99 MB File (table.doc) Download 55.50 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 14 January 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords comparative ecological experiment ecosystem ecosystem ecology laboratory microbial sequencing statistical terrestrial Authors Affiliations leqing E 0009-0003-7000-8550 Inner Mongolia Normal University View all articles by this author Guodong Han Inner Mongolia Agricultural University View all articles by this author Jie Liu Inner Mongolia Normal University View all articles by this author Xuefeng Gao [email protected] Inner Mongolia Normal University View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 135 views 61 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation leqing E, Guodong Han, Jie Liu, et al. Ecological effects of root exudates from five plant species within a desert steppe community. Authorea . 14 January 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176841935.58430959/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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