Temperature and precipitation interactively shape the plant microbiome by regulating the start of the growing season

Climate change is altering associations between plants and soil microbiota, threatening ecosystem functioning and stability. Predicting these effects requires understanding how concomitant changes in temperature and precipitation influence plant-soil microbiota associations. We identify the pathways via which temperature and precipitation shape prokaryote and fungal rhizosphere and root-associated communities of the perennial grass Festuca rubra in cold-climate ecosystems. We found that interactive effects of temperature and precipitation are key in shaping plant-soil microbiota associations, with the start of the growing season as a critical mediating factor. Specifically, the start of the growing season is advanced by increasing temperature, but delayed by increasing precipitation. This interactive pathway particularly shaped rhizosphere organic matter degrading microbiota, and root-associated plant pathogen and beneficial microbiota. We conclude that understanding local temperature, precipitation, and seasonal changes is crucial to accurately predict how the unique plant-microbiota interactions shaping cold-climate ecosystems are evolving with the ongoing change in climate.