Fig. 5. Comparison of taxon-specific bacterial growth potential in fungal-inoculated versus uninoculated hyphal ingrowth core soils following water limitation.

¹⁸O atom percent excess (APE) active growth ratios of bacterial ASVs present in water-limited soils that were either uninoculated or inoculated with R. irregularis or S. bescii, averaged at the phylum level (a, b) or displayed by individual ASV grouped within class for the phyla Acidobacteria (c), Verrucomicrobia (d), and Actinobacteria (e). Ratios greater than 1.0 (to the right of the vertical central line) indicate that fungal inocula supported greater bacterial growth potential. For phylum-level averages, asterisks represent ¹⁸O APE ratios that are significantly greater than 1.0 (adjusted p < 0.05 based on Wilcoxon signed rank test and Benjamini–Hochberg correction for multiple comparisons). Error bars represent the standard error within each bacterial phylum. Only taxa that incorporated a significant quantity of ¹⁸O (lower 90% CI > 0) and belong to the ten most abundant phyla are represented.