Root carbon flow from an invasive plant to belowground foodwebs |
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Authors: | Mark A Bradford Michael S Strickland Jayna L DeVore John C Maerz |
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Institution: | 1. School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA 2. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
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Abstract: | Aims Soil foodwebs are based on plant production. This production enters belowground foodwebs via numerous pathways, with root pathways likely dominating supply. Indeed, root exudation may fuel 30–50?% of belowground activity with photosynthate fixed only hours earlier. Yet we have limited knowledge of root fluxes of recent-photosynthate from invasive plants to belowground foodwebs. Methods Using stable isotopes, we quantify the proportion of recent-photosynthate transferred belowground from the invasive grass Microstegium vimineum A. Camus, a widespread invader of forest understory. Given its minimal root biomass (~8?% of individual mass), we expected exudation to contribute little to belowground foodwebs. Results Within 2?days of 13C-labeling, we recover ~15?% of photosynthate carbon in microbial biomass. Recovery in root and dissolved organic carbon pools is consistently low (<2?%), suggesting these pools operate as ‘pipelines’ for carbon transport to soil microbes. The recovery of the label in wolf spiders – forest floor predators that feed on soil animals – highlights that root inputs of recent photosynthate can propagate rapidly through belowground foodwebs. Conclusions Our results suggest that root carbon-exudation, an unexplored process of invasive grass inputs to forest foodwebs, may be an important pathway through which invasive species affect the structure and function of recipient ecosystems. |
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