[RWG] NEWS: Microbes Facilitate the Persistence, Spread of Invasive Plant Species by Changing Soil Chemistry

[Kwong, Olivia]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130926131631.htm

Microbes Facilitate the Persistence, Spread of Invasive Plant Species by
Changing Soil Chemistry

Sep. 26, 2013 -- Invasive species are among the world's greatest threats to
native species and biodiversity. Once invasive plants become established,
they can alter soil chemistry and shift nutrient cycling in an ecosystem.
This can have important impacts not only on plant composition, diversity,
and succession within a community, but also in the cycling of critical
elements like carbon and nitrogen on a larger, potentially even global,
scale. Clearly, both native and exotic plants form intimate relationships
with bacteria in the soil that facilitate the extraction and conversion of
elements to biologically usable forms. Yet an unanswered question with
regard to plant invasions remains: could the changes in soil
biogeochemistry be due to an advantage that invasive plants get from
interacting with their microbiome?

See the link above for the full article text.
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