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

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by (1) the David and Lucile Packard Foundation Interdisciplinary Science Program and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Conservation and Environment Program (Consortium for Research at McLaughlin Fellowship) and (2) the University of California, Davis National Science Foundation Biological Invasions Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Research and Training (IGERT) Grant. This work was performed in part at the University of California Natural Reserve System McLaughlin Reserve. We thank Dr. Kevin Rice for valuable feedback and Joshua Hunt and Ben Kong for field and greenhouse assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for American Progress, 1333 H. Street NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC, 20005, USA

    Katharine M. Batten

  2. Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Kate M. Scow

  3. Ecology Graduate Group, Department of Plant Sciences, Mail Stop 1, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Erin K. Espeland

Authors
  1. Katharine M. Batten
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  2. Kate M. Scow
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  3. Erin K. Espeland
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Correspondence to Katharine M. Batten.

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Batten, K.M., Scow, K.M. & Espeland, E.K. Soil Microbial Community Associated with an Invasive Grass Differentially Impacts Native Plant Performance. Microb Ecol 55, 220–228 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-007-9269-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-007-9269-3

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