Root microbiome shaped by neighbor plant identity and soil legacy effects (microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com)

• Neighbor plants and soil legacy exert stronger influence on root microbiome than host identity.
• Bacteria driven by neighbor identity; fungi driven by soil legacy.
• Microbial metabolites mediate neighbor effects on plant growth.

"Researchers at Leiden University demonstrate that root-associated microbiomes are more strongly influenced by neighboring plants and their soil legacies than by the host plant itself. Bacterial communities were primarily shaped by co-occurring neighbor plants, while fungal communities were mainly determined by soil legacies from previously grown plants. The study, published in Microbiome on 27 May 2026, used culturable microbial communities (NatComs) and showed that microbial metabolites are a mechanistic pathway for neighbor effects on plant growth."