Abundance values (A) and percentages (B) (relative to 16S rDNA) of fungal, bacterial and PAH-degrading bacterial communities over time (at T₀ and at T₃₇) and depending on the plant species (orange: alfalfa, Alf; green: ryegrass, Rye).

<p>Values are means and standard deviations of 3 and 56 replicates for T₀ and T₃₇, respectively. The effects of time and plant species were evaluated separately using Student t-tests (p<0.05). Green and orange asterisks indicate significant changes in microbial community percentage or abundance between T₀ and T₃₇ in the ryegrass and alfalfa rhizotron, respectively. Black asterisks indicate significant changes in microbial community percentage or abundance between the two plants at T₃₇.