Evidence of plant-soil feedback in South Texas grasslands associated with invasive Guinea grass

Plant-soil feedback (PSF) processes play an integral role in structuring plant communities. In native grasslands, PSF has a largely negative or stabilizing effect on growth contributing to species coexistence and succession, but perturbations system can alter PSF, leading long-term changes. Through changes soil abiotic biotic properties, invasion by non-native plants strong impact belowground with broad shifts historical PSFs. Guinea grass, Megathyrsus maximus , emerging invasive South Texas, efficiently exclude part due its fast rate high biomass accumulation, impacts are unknown. Here, we provide first look at Texas savannas currently undergoing grass. this pilot study, addressed the question of how presence M. may compared uninvaded grasslands. Under greenhouse conditions, assessed germination grass seed bank collected from grasslands invaded We found that grown grew taller accumulated higher than Plants were more rich abundant had savannas, evidence support direction positive appearing reinforce possibly Future work is needed determine mechanisms behind observed further explore invasion.