Soil Microbial Community Associated with an Invasive Grass Differentially Impacts Native Plant Performance

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• 作者：Katharine M. Batten ; Kate M. Scow and Erin K. Espeland
• 刊名：Microbial Ecology
• 出版年：2008
• 出版时间：February, 2008
• 年：2008
• 卷：55
• 期：2
• 页码：220-228
• 全文大小：199.0 KB
• 刊物类别：Biomedical and Life Sciences
• 刊物主题：Life Sciences
  Microbiology
  Ecology
  Geoecology and Natural Processes
  Nature Conservation
  
• 出版者：Springer New York
• ISSN：1432-184X

文摘

This study is one of the first to show that invasive plant-induced changes in the soil microbial community can negatively impact native plant performance. This greenhouse experiment tested whether soil microbial communities specific to the rhizospheres of an invasive grass (Aegilops triuncialis) and two native plants (Lasthenia californica and Plantago erecta) affected invasive and/or native plant performance. Each of these species were grown in separate pots for 2 months to prime the soils with plant-specific rhizosphere microbial communities. Each plant species was then planted in native- and invasive-primed soil, and effects on plant performance were monitored. At 5 months, differences in microbial biomarker fatty acids between invaded and native soils mirrored previous differences found in field-collected soil. L. californica performance was significantly reduced when grown in invaded soil compared to native soil (flowering date was delayed, aboveground biomass decreased, specific root length increased, and root mass ratio increased). In contrast, P. erecta and A. triuncialis performance were unaffected when grown in invaded vs native soil. These results suggest that in some cases, invasion-induced changes in the soil microbial community may contribute to a positive feedback loop, leading to the increased dominance of invasive species in an ecosystem.