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Plant–soil feedbacks of exotic plant species across life forms: a meta-analysis

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Abstract

Invasive exotic plant species effects on soil biota and processes in their new range can promote or counteract invasions via changed plant–soil feedback interactions to themselves or to native plant species. Recent meta-analyses reveale that soil influenced by native and exotic plant species is affecting growth and performance of natives more strongly than exotics. However, the question is how uniform these responses are across contrasting life forms. Here, we test the hypothesis that life form matters for effects on soil and plant–soil feedback. In a meta-analysis we show that exotics enhanced C cycling, numbers of meso-invertebrates and nematodes, while having variable effects on other soil biota and processes. Plant effects on soil biota and processes were not dependent on life form, but patterns in feedback effects of natives and exotics were dependent on life form. Native grasses and forbs caused changes in soil that subsequently negatively affected their biomass, whereas native trees caused changes in soil that subsequently positively affected their biomass. Most exotics had neutral feedback effects, although exotic forbs had positive feedback effects. Effects of exotics on natives differed among plant life forms. Native trees were inhibited in soils conditioned by exotics, whereas native grasses were positively influenced in soil conditioned by exotics. We conclude that plant life form matters when comparing plant–soil feedback effects both within and between natives and exotics. We propose that impact analyses of exotic plant species on the performance of native plant species can be improved by comparing responses within plant life form.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mark van Kleunen for advice on performing a meta-analysis, Daan Blok and three anonymous reviewers for comments on a previous version of this manuscript, and Angela Brandt, Pella Brinkman, Christine Hawkes, Sheri Huerd, Paul Kardol, John Klironomos, Elly Morriën, Arsène Alain Sanon, Mariska te Beest and Keith Vogelsang for providing data from their published studies. This study was funded by the Dutch Research Council NWO-ALW with a Vici Grant (Number 865.05.002) to WHvdP. This is NIOO publication 5601.

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Correspondence to Annelein Meisner.

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Meisner, A., Gera Hol, W.H., de Boer, W. et al. Plant–soil feedbacks of exotic plant species across life forms: a meta-analysis. Biol Invasions 16, 2551–2561 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0685-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0685-2

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