Similarity in fine-to-total root mass ratio leads to comparative plant-soil feedbacks between co-occurring native and invasive plants

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuefei Tang ◽  
Chunqiang Wei ◽  
Lunlun Gao ◽  
Bingbing Jia ◽  
Xinmin Lu
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Soil Biota ◽  
Root Mass ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Mass Ratio ◽  
Plant Soil

Abstract Aims Soil biota can affect plant-plant interactions and non-native plant invasions via plant-soil feedback (PSF). Understanding the drivers underlying interspecific variations in PSF is important for predicting the role of soil biota in non-native plant invasions. Recent studies found that PSF could be predicted by plant traits. The success of plant invasions is also linked with plant traits, suggesting a potential linkage between PSF and plant invasion via plant traits, but has not yet been tested. Here, we compared PSF between six phylogenetically-paired co-occurring native and invasive plants, and explored the potential linkage between PSF with plant root traits. Methods We conducted a two-phase PSF experiment. Field collected soils were conditioned by the six plant species for three months firstly, then seedlings of these plants were grown in living or sterilized soils that had been conditioned by conspecific vs. heterospecific (the congener/confamilial species) individuals. We estimated effects of biota in conspecific (con-specific PSF) or heterospecific (hetero-specific PSF) soils relative to sterilized soils, and the relative effects of biota in conspecific vs. heterospecific soils (PSF-away) on plant biomass. Important findings In general, soil biota suppressed plant growth, and there were no differences in con-specific PSF, hetero-specific PSF and PSF-away between native and invasive plants. PSF increased with rising plant fine-to-total root mass ratio in the presence of soil biota, and its value was comparable between native and invasive plants. Our results indicate that similarity in plant fine-to-total root mass ratio that predicted PSF may have partially led to the comparable PSFs between these native and invasive plants. Studies exploring the linkages among plant traits, PSF and plant invasions with more plants, in particular phylogenetically-distant plants, are needed to improve our understanding of the role of soil biota in plant invasions.

scholarly journals Exotic plants accumulate and share herbivores yet dominate communities via rapid growth

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Warwick J. Allen ◽  
Lauren P. Waller ◽  
Barbara I. P. Barratt ◽  
Ian A. Dickie ◽  
Jason M. Tylianakis
Keyword(s):  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Exotic Plants ◽  
Apparent Competition ◽  
Indirect Interactions ◽  
Soil Biota ◽  
Exotic Plant Invasion ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Invasion Hypotheses ◽  
Plant Herbivore ◽  
Invertebrate Herbivores

AbstractHerbivores may facilitate or impede exotic plant invasion, depending on their direct and indirect interactions with exotic plants relative to co-occurring natives. However, previous studies investigating direct effects have mostly used pairwise native-exotic comparisons with few enemies, reached conflicting conclusions, and largely overlooked indirect interactions such as apparent competition. Here, we ask whether native and exotic plants differ in their interactions with invertebrate herbivores. We manipulate and measure plant-herbivore and plant-soil biota interactions in 160 experimental mesocosm communities to test several invasion hypotheses. We find that compared with natives, exotic plants support higher herbivore diversity and biomass, and experience larger proportional biomass reductions from herbivory, regardless of whether specialist soil biota are present. Yet, exotics consistently dominate community biomass, likely due to their fast growth rates rather than strong potential to exert apparent competition on neighbors. We conclude that polyphagous invertebrate herbivores are unlikely to play significant direct or indirect roles in mediating plant invasions, especially for fast-growing exotic plants.

scholarly journals Non-Native Herbivores Promote Plant Invasions Away From Mountain Roads in the Andes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Aschero ◽  
Agustina Barros ◽  
Lorena Bonjour ◽  
Ana Mazzolari ◽  
Martín Pérez Sosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Natural Vegetation ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
The Road ◽  
The Andes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract While the role of environmental filters, usually described by elevation as proxy, and anthropogenic disturbance as drivers of non-native plant diversity and abundance in mountains have been extensively studied, the impact of herbivores are less explored. Livestock grazing can facilitate the introduction of non-native species by seed dispersal and reduce biotic resistance due to consumption and trampling of native plants, even in the highest protected areas in the Andes. We here explored the effects of elevation, livestock and distance to the road on non-native and native plant distributions. Our results confirm the largely negative relationship of non-native plant richness and cover with elevation, with a peak in richness and cover at low to intermediate elevations. Similarly, we show a strong decline in non-native richness with increasing distance to the road, especially at low elevations, accompanied by a strong negative effect of roads on native species richness. Most importantly, however, we show that the presence of non-native herbivores greatly increases the cover of non-native species away from the roadside, identifying herbivore disturbance as a potential catalyst of non-native plant invasion into natural vegetation of high-Andean protected areas. Our results confirm the often-shown role of disturbance as driver of plant invasions in mountains, yet highlight the interactive effects of disturbance by roads and herbivory: roads funnel non-native species towards higher elevations, while non-native herbivores can promote non-native plant success away from the roadside and into the natural vegetation. Hence, regulating soil and non-native herbivory disturbance is important for minimizing plant invasions at high elevation in the Arid Andes.

scholarly journals Plant–soil feedbacks: role of plant functional group and plant traits

2016 ◽  
Vol 104 (6) ◽  
pp. 1608-1617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roeland Cortois ◽  
Thomas Schröder‐Georgi ◽  
Alexandra Weigelt ◽  
Wim H. Putten ◽  
Gerlinde B. De Deyn
Keyword(s):  
Functional Group ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Plant Functional Group ◽  
Plant Soil

scholarly journals Plant-soil feedbacks and the resource economics spectrum

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zia Mehrabi
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Plant Competition ◽  
Resource Economics ◽  
Economic Traits ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Plant Resource ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Feedback

Recent work suggests that resource economic traits might help predict the strength and direction of plant-soil feedback interactions, both in natural systems and in agriculture. However, there are many competing hypotheses to explain the effects of plant resource economics on plant-soil feedbacks. Faster-growing plants may have positive fertilizing effects if their tissues are incorporated and mineralized by soil microbes, but may also have negative effects if pathogens build up, or if fungal symbionts are lost through fertilization. Identifying the direction of effects may be confounded if nutrients are exported through herbivory, leaching, or crop harvesting. To determine causality in the effect of plant traits on plant-soil feedbacks it is essential for plant-soil feedback experiments to (1) quantify the mass of nutrients held in standing, or harvested plant biomass, and in losses to other sources in the field, and (2) undertake soil chemistry measurements (e.g. gross and net nitrogen mineralization) of nutrients limiting for plant growth throughout all phases of the feedback cycle. If rigorous nutrient budgeting in plant-soil feedback research is more widely practiced this will provide the data needed to synthesise results in comparable ways, and will enable mechanistic insights into the role of plant traits in mediating plant competition in both natural and applied settings.

scholarly journals An invasive plant rapidly increased the similarity of soil fungal pathogen communities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiling Wang ◽  
Xuefei Tang ◽  
Xiaoqiu Sun ◽  
Bingbing Jia ◽  
Hao Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Alternanthera Philoxeroides ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Soil Microbial

Abstract Background and Aims Plant invasions can change soil microbial communities and affect subsequent invasions directly or indirectly via foliar herbivory. It has been proposed that invaders promote uniform biotic communities that displace diverse, spatially variable communities (the biotic homogenization hypothesis), but this has not been experimentally tested for soil microbial communities, so the underlying mechanisms and dynamics are unclear. Here, we compared density-dependent impacts of the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides and its native congener A. sessilis on soil fungal communities, and their feedback effects on plants and a foliar beetle. Methods We conducted a plant–soil feedback (PSF) experiment and a laboratory bioassay to examine PSFs associated with the native and invasive plants and a beetle feeding on them. We also characterized the soil fungal community using high-throughput sequencing. Key Results We found locally differentiated soil fungal pathogen assemblages associated with high densities of the native plant A. sessilis but little variation in those associated with the invasive congener A. philoxeroides, regardless of plant density. In contrast, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal assemblages associated with high densities of the invasive plant were more variable. Soil biota decreased plant shoot mass but their effect was weak for the invasive plant growing in native plant-conditioned soils. PSFs increased the larval biomass of a beetle reared on leaves of the native plant only. Moreover, PSFs on plant shoot and root mass and beetle mass were predicted by different pathogen taxa in a plant species-specific manner. Conclusion Our results suggest that plant invasions can rapidly increase the similarity of soil pathogen assemblages even at low plant densities, leading to taxonomically and functionally homogeneous soil communities that may limit negative soil effects on invasive plants.

scholarly journals Meta-analysis of the impact of plant invasions on soil microbial communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nardi Torres ◽  
Ileana Herrera ◽  
Laurie Fajardo ◽  
Ramiro O. Bustamante
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Bacterial Diversity ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Soil Biota ◽  
Soil Microbial

Abstract Background One of the ecological impacts of exotic plant invasions may be alteration of the soil microbial community, which may cause changes to the diversity, richness and function of these communities. In order to explore to what extent invasive plants affect the soil microbial community, we performed a meta-analysis based on 46 scientific articles to document the effect of invasive plants on species richness and diversity of bacteria and fungi. We conducted our study across a range of invaded ecosystems including native communities, and evaluated biomass, richness and diversity. We use a random effects model to determine the increase or decrease in the values of the response variables in the presence of invasive plants. Results The results indicated that the response variable that changed with the invasion of plants was the diversity of bacteria. Bacterial diversity in the soil increases with the presence of invasive plants, specifically herbaceous plants producing allelopathic substances growing in forest ecosystems of temperate zones. Conclusions We provide evidence that invasive plants affect the soil biota differentially; however, it is important to consider more variables such as the N and C cycles, since these processes are mediated by soil biota and litter, and chemical compounds released by plants influence them. Changes in bacterial diversity have consequences for the nutrient cycle, enzymatic activity, mineralization rates and soil carbon and nitrogen content.

scholarly journals Invasive Plants with Native Lookalikes: How Mistaken Identities Can Lead to More Significant Plant Invasions and Delay Management

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
S. Christopher Marble ◽  
Stephen H. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Population Expansion ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Delayed Response ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Invasive Plant Management

Plant invasions pose a serious threat to biodiversity, agricultural production, and land value throughout the world. Due to Florida’s unique climate, population expansion, expansive coastline, and number of seaports, the state is especially vulnerable to non-native plant naturalization and spread. Invasive plant management programs were shown to have higher success rates with fewer resources when invasives were managed soon after non-native plants were observed. However, some newly emerging invasive plants may go undetected due to their resemblance with native species or other invasive plants. The objective of this review is to highlight a few key invasive plants in Florida that have native lookalikes. While morphological differences are discussed, the primary goal is to discuss management implications of misidentification and delayed response times, as well as the need for plant identification guides that include information on how to distinguish problematic invasive plants from similar native species.

scholarly journals Plant-soil feedbacks and the resource economics spectrum

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zia Mehrabi
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Plant Competition ◽  
Resource Economics ◽  
Economic Traits ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Plant Resource ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Feedback

Recent work suggests that resource economic traits might help predict the strength and direction of plant-soil feedback interactions, both in natural systems and in agriculture. However, there are many competing hypotheses to explain the effects of plant resource economics on plant-soil feedbacks. Faster-growing plants may have positive fertilizing effects if their tissues are incorporated and mineralized by soil microbes, but may also have negative effects if pathogens build up, or if fungal symbionts are lost through fertilization. Identifying the direction of effects may be confounded if nutrients are exported through herbivory, leaching, or crop harvesting. To determine causality in the effect of plant traits on plant-soil feedbacks it is essential for plant-soil feedback experiments to (1) quantify the mass of nutrients held in standing, or harvested plant biomass, and in losses to other sources in the field, and (2) undertake soil chemistry measurements (e.g. gross and net nitrogen mineralization) of nutrients limiting for plant growth throughout all phases of the feedback cycle. If rigorous nutrient budgeting in plant-soil feedback research is more widely practiced this will provide the data needed to synthesise results in comparable ways, and will enable mechanistic insights into the role of plant traits in mediating plant competition in both natural and applied settings.

Soil biota and non-native plant invasions.

2020 ◽  
pp. 45-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ragan M. Callaway ◽  
Jacob E. Lucero
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Biotic Resistance ◽  
Control Plant ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Soil Biota ◽  
Enemy Release ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Soil Community ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Antagonistic Interactions

Abstract The trajectory of plant invasions - for better or for worse - can be tied to interactions between plants and the soil community. Here, we highlight five broad ways in which belowground interactions can influence the trajectory of biological invasions by non-native plant species. First, many non-native plant species in their non-native ranges can interact very differently with the resident soil community than do native species. Second, non-native plant species often interact very differently with the soil community in their non-native ranges than in their native ranges, which can result in enemy release from antagonistic interactions. Third, non-native plant species can cultivate a soil community that disproportionately harms native competitors in invaded communities. Fourth, antagonistic soil biota in invaded communities can reduce the performance of non-native plant species, resulting in meaningful biotic resistance against invasion. Fifth, besides or in addition to antagonistic interactions with soil biota, soil mutualisms can promote the success of invasive plant species (i) when mutualists co-invade with non-native plant species that require obligate specialist mutualists, (ii) when mutualists enhance the performance of non-native plant species in their non-native ranges, and (iii) when biotic interactions in the invaded community suppress the soil mutualists of native plant species. We conclude that management practices aimed at manipulating plant - soil interactions have considerable potential to help control plant invasions, but further work is needed to understand the spatial, temporal, taxonomic and biogeographic drivers of context dependence in interactions among plants and soil biota.

Plant invasions: the role of biotic interactions - an overview.

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Anna Traveset ◽  
David M. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Plant Invasion ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Biotic Resistance ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Invasion Biology ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Common Garden Experiments

Abstract Diverse biotic interactions between non-native plant species and other species from all taxonomic groups are crucial mediators of the dynamics of plant invasions. This chapter reviews the key hypotheses in invasion ecology that invoke biotic interactions to explain aspects of plant invasion dynamics. We examine the historical context of these hypotheses and assess the evidence for accepting or rejecting their predictions. Most hypotheses invoke antagonistic interactions, mainly competition, predation, herbivory interactions and the role of pathogens. Only in the last two decades have positive (facilitative/mutualistic) interactions been explicitly included in invasion biology theory (as in ecological theory in general). Much information has accumulated in testing hypotheses relating to biotic resistance and Enemy Release Theory, although many of the emerging generalizations are still contentious. There is growing consensus that other drivers of plant invasion success, such as propagule pressure and disturbance, mediate the outcome of biotic interactions, thereby complicating our ability to make predictions, but these have rarely been assessed in both native and adventive ranges of non-native invasive species. It is also widely acknowledged that biogeographic comparisons, more than common garden experiments, are needed to shed light on many of the contradictory results. Contrasting findings have also emerged in exploring the roles of positive interactions. Despite strong evidence that such interactions are crucial in many communities, more work is needed to elucidate the factors that influence the relative importance of positive and negative interactions in different ecosystems. Different types of evidence in support of invasional meltdown have emerged for diverse habitats and across spatial scales. In light of increasing evidence that biotic indirect effects are crucial determinants of the structure, dynamics and evolution of ecological communities, both direct and indirect interactions involving native and non-native species must be considered to determine how they shape plant invasion patterns and the ecological impacts of non-native species on recipient communities. Research that examines both biotic interactions and the factors that mediate their strength and alter interaction outcomes is needed to improve our ability to predict the effects of novel interactions between native and non-native species, and to envisage how existing invaded communities will respond to changing environmental conditions. Many opportunities exist for manipulating biotic interactions as part of integrated control strategies to reduce the extent, density and impacts of non-native plant invasions. These include the introduction of species from the native range of the non-native plant for biological control, diverse manipulations of plant - herbivore interactions and many types of interaction to enhance biotic resistance and steer vegetation recovery following non-native plant control.

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