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

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC ecology and evolution 2021-09, Vol.21 (1), p.172-172, Article 172
Main Authors: Torres, Nardi, Herrera, Ileana, Fajardo, Laurie, Bustamante, Ramiro O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Biodiversity of bacteria
Biological diversity
Biological invasions
Categorical model
Genetic aspects
Identification and classification
Microbial colonies
Plant communities
Soil microbial communities
Soil microbiology
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Summary: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. 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. 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.
ISSN:2730-7182
2730-7182
DOI:10.1186/s12862-021-01899-2