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Microbial-mediated feedbacks of leaf litter on invasive plant growth and interspecific competition

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Abstract

Background and Aims

Feedbacks between plants and soil microbes can play an important role in competition between potential invaders and the resident community. However, the role of saprophytic soil microbes is poorly understood because research largely focuses on the role of specific soil-borne pathogens. Our aim was to examine the role of plant-saprophyte feedbacks in soil processes (decomposition and enzyme activities) and plant competition.

Methods

We preconditioned a common soil in microcosms by decomposing litter of four species; two exotic invasive species (Microstegium vimineum and Berberis thunbergii) and two native species (Viburnum acerifolium and Vaccinium corymbosum). We then replaced the litter with either the same species’ litter or a different species’ litter on the preconditioned soil. We measured the effect of preconditioning on subsequent litter decomposition, microbial community structure (phospholipid fatty acids) and function (soil enzyme activities and decomposition). We then grew Berberis and Viburnum seedlings in preconditioned soils under intraspecific and interspecific competition to determine whether litter preconditioning had a feedback effect on competition.

Results

Changes in microbial community structure during preconditioning persisted through time and altered subsequent soil enzyme activities and litter decomposition. These changes also affected the growth rate of two shrub species, but because both shrubs grew best in soil that previously contained Berberis litter, competition between these species was not directly affected.

Conclusions

Plant litter creates a legacy that influences the future structure of the microbial community even after that litter is gone. This legacy effect has functional consequences on decomposition and plant growth, and could be an important but under-appreciated factor in soil and plant community ecology. Further study is needed to determine how these consequences affect plant community composition and invasibility.

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Abbreviations

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

FAME:

Fatty acid methyl ester

L-DOPA:

L-dihydroxy-phenylalanine

MANOVA:

Multivariate analysis of variance

PCA:

Principal components analysis

PLFA:

Phospholipid fatty acids

pNP:

p-nitrophenyl

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Acknowledgements

I dedicate this article to the memory of my mentor and friend, Joan Ehrenfeld. Jodi Messina provided lab and field assistance, Michael Murillo at the Rutgers University High-Throughput Screening Lab helped with enzyme analyses and Cathleen McFadden conducted plant tissue analyses. This manuscript was improved by helpful comments from Brenda Casper, members of the Ehrenfeld lab, and five anonymous referees. Funding was provided by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to K.J.E. and an NSF grant (DEB-0309047) to J.G.E.

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Author notes

  1. Kenneth J. Elgersma

    Present address: Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 2078 Kraus Natural Science Building, 830 North University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1048, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecol, Evolution, & Natural Resources, Rutgers University, 14 College Farm Rd., New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Kenneth J. Elgersma & Joan G. Ehrenfeld

  2. Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, China

    Shen Yu

  3. Institute of Silviculture, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Torsten Vor

Authors
  1. Kenneth J. Elgersma
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  2. Shen Yu
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  4. Joan G. Ehrenfeld
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kenneth J. Elgersma.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Hans Lambers.

Joan G. Ehrenfeld is deceased.

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Elgersma, K.J., Yu, S., Vor, T. et al. Microbial-mediated feedbacks of leaf litter on invasive plant growth and interspecific competition. Plant Soil 356, 341–355 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-1117-z

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