Legacy effects of invasive plant species on soil bacterial community assembly, β-diversity, and ecological interactions

Abstract

Invasions of exotic plant species pose a serious threat to local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, with their effects on soil persisting even after removal. In a mesocosm experiment, we investigated the impact of two alien species, Conyza bonariensis (annual) and Solanum elaeagnifolium (perennial) on soil bacterial community after one year of growth (conditioning sampling), and their legacy effects on the bacterial community developed during the subsequent growth of a native grass species, Cichorium intybus (legacy sampling). We assessed the effects of these species by analysing soil enzymatic activity, bacterial community biomass and structure, β-diversity and the co-occurrence patterns of microbial members. Plant identity did not affect enzymatic activity, bacterial biomass and community composition. The communities across all treatments were dominated by the phylum Firmicutes particularly the Bacillus genus. The heterogeneity in the composition of bacterial communities between treatments (β-diversity) was higher at conditioning compared to legacy sampling while the niche width of the bacterial members expanded after C. intybus growth. β-diversity in soils with S. elaeagnifolium legacy was mainly driven by stochastic processes such as ecological or genetic drift while in soils with C. bonarienzis legacy, deterministic processes like environmental filtering played a dominant role. Regulation of microbial co-occurrence patterns was nearly equally influenced by stochastic and deterministic processes. However, the legacy effects of the invaders significantly impacted the robustness of bacterial networks to further disturbance, with the networks in C. bonarienzis exhibiting enhanced robustness. Our results suggest divergent management strategies for these two species: precautionary containment for S. elaeagnifolium vs. direct intervention for C. bonariensis.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

rank abundance models / S. elaeagnifolium / C. bonarienzis / soil enzyme activity / PLFAs

Highlight

	● No invasive-specific effects on bacterial community composition and biomass.
	● The identity of invaders’ legacy impacted the robustness of bacterial networks.
	● Legacy of C. bonarienzis exerts strong filtering effect on soil bacterial β-diversity.
	● S. elaeagnifolium legacy promotes the stochastic regulation of bacterial β-diversity.

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