Breaking New Ground: Soil Communities and Exotic Plant Invasion

Abstract

As exotic plant species invade ecosystems, ecologists have been attempting to assess the effects of these invasions on native communities and to determine what factors influence invasion processes. Although much of this work has focused on aboveground flora and fauna, structurally and functionally diverse soil communities also can respond to and mediate exotic plant invasions. In numerous ecosystems, the invasion of exotic plant species has caused major shifts in the composition and function of soil communities. Soil organisms, such as pathogenic or mutualistic fungi, have direct effects on the establishment, growth, and biotic interactions of exotic plants. An integrated understanding of how aboveground and belowground biota interact with exotic plants is necessary to manage and restore communities invaded by exotic plant species.