Flaveria bidentis invasion modifies soil physicochemical properties and increases microorganism community diversity

The invasive plant Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze, known as the "ecological killer", poses a significant threat to the ecosystem stability due to its strong phenotypic plasticity and high fertility. Previous studies have reported a close relationship between plant invasion and soil microbial communities. This study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between the invasion of F. bidentis, the diversity of soil microbial communities, and soil physiochemical properties.

In this study, we established a common garden experiment by planting F. bidentis and Chenopodium ficifolium Sm. separately and mixed, in Lanfang, China. We analyzed microbial communities in both bulk soil and rhizosphere soil using the high-throughput sequencing technology.

The results showed that F. bidentis invasion significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversities in rhizosphere soil, irrelevant with or without the existence of native plant species. Meanwhile, F. bidentis increased the content of organic matter and ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺) in bulk soil and decrease the content of NH₄⁺ in rhizosphere soil. Significant correlations were observed between nitrogen contents or acid phosphatase and specific soil microbial communities.

These results underly that regardless of competition with native plants, the invasion of F. bidentis alters soil physicochemical properties and increases microorganism community diversity. This study establishes a theoretical foundation for further research on the invasion mechanisms of F. bidentis and provides valuable references for other studies about F. bidentis.