Negative plant-soil feedbacks may limit persistence of an invasive tree due to rapid accumulation of soil pathogens

Soil organisms influence plant species coexistence and invasion potential. Plant-soil feedbacks occur when plants change soil community composition such that interactions with that soil community in turn may positively or negatively affect the performance of conspecifics. Theories predict and studies show that invasions may be promoted by stronger negative soil feedbacks for native compared with exotic species. We present a counter-example of a successful invader with strong negative soil feedbacks apparently caused by host-specific, pathogenic soil fungi. Using a feedback experiment in pots, we investigated whether the relative strength of plant-soil feedbacks experienced by a non-native woody invader, Sapium sebiferum, differed from several native tree species by examining their performance in soils collected near conspecifics ('home soils') or heterospecifics ('away soils') in the introduced range. Sapium seedlings, but no native seedlings, had lower survival and biomass in its home soils compared with soils of other species (negative feedback'). To investigate biotic agents potentially responsible for the observed negative feedbacks, we conducted two additional experiments designed to eliminate different soil taxa ('rescue experiments'). We found that soil sterilization (pot experiment ) or soil fungicide applications (pot and field experiments) restored Sapium performance in home soil thereby eliminating the negative feedbacks we observed in the original experiment. Such negative feedbacks apparently mediated by soil fungi could have important effects on persistence of this invader by limiting Sapium seedling success in Sapium dominated forests (home soils) though their weak effects in heterospecific (away) soils suggest a weak role in limiting initial establishment.     

Mycorrhizal associations of an invasive tree are enhanced by both genetic and environmental mechanisms

Biotic interactions involving exotic plants in their introduced ranges may differ from those of co‐occurring plant species and from interactions in their native ranges. When interactions are less negative, or more positive compared to native plant species, this may increase invasion success, and differences among ranges may cause changes in exotic plant traits. Here, we investigated arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) associated with Triadica sebifera seedlings from populations in native (China) and introduced ranges (US) and with seedlings from US and China species within three co‐occurring genera (Liquidambar, Ulmus, Celtis) grown in multiple common gardens in both ranges. No general pattern of higher or lower AM colonization was found in the introduced range for China and US Celtis, Liquidambar, or Ulmus species. However, AM colonization was significantly higher for Triadica than for other genera, particularly in the introduced range, suggesting AM may improve Triadica's invasion success. Triadica AM colonization was higher in US than China gardens, decreased with increasing soil nitrogen in China, but was independent of soil nitrogen in the US. This might reflect a different effect of soil fertility on this mutualism among ranges. Introduced Triadica populations had higher AM colonization than native populations, particularly in US gardens, implying a possible advantage from greater AM association in the introduced range. This is the first field study demonstrating post‐introduction changes in mycorrhizal colonization of an invasive species. It indicates that there are ecological and evolutionary components to the effect of positive interactions on plant invasions.