Are there evolutionary consequences of genetic-based feedbacks between plants and soils?
The burgeoning fields of community and ecosystem genetics are demonstrating that plant genetic factors can structure both above- and belowground communities and impact ecosystem processes from energy flow to water and nutrient cycles. Both plant genetic and genotypic variation have been found to influence the composition of terrestrial and aquatic arthropod communities as well as influence the composition of soil microbial communities. Furthermore in both field and common garden studies, the effects of genetic variation also extend to influence plant above- and belowground productivity, water use, rates of litter and root decomposition and rates of carbon and nitrogen mineralization. While these studies show that plant genetic factors affect community and ecosystem processes, the relative influence of genetic X environment interactions or the evolutionary consequences of plant-soil feedbacks on ecosystem processes have received little attention. Understanding these issues is important
