Causes and consequences of differences in soil and seed microbiomes for two alpine plants.

Seed and soil microbiomes strongly affect plant performance, and these effects can scale-up to influence plant community structure. However, seed and soil microbial community composition are variable across landscapes, and different microbial communities can differentially influence multiple plant metrics (biomass, germination rate), and community stabilizing mechanisms. We determined how microbiomes inside seeds and in soils varied among alpine plant species and communities that differed in plant species richness and density.