Functional shifts of soil microbial communities associated with Alliaria petiolata invasion

Soil feedback is thought to be an important contributor the success of invasive plants. Despite evidence that plants change soil microbial diversity, functional roles microbes impacted by invasion are still unclear. This knowledge a critical component our understanding ecological mechanisms plant invasion. Mounting suggests Alliaria petiolata can suppress arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) disrupt native communities in controlled laboratory and greenhouse experiments, though it less clear if allelochemicals persist under natural field conditions. Alternatively, may accumulate pathogens more harmful competitors as predicted Enemy my Hypothesis (EEH). We examined changes groups bacteria associated with ten naturally occurring populations A. using amplicon sequences (16S ITS rRNA). To relate impacts on co-occurring plants, we measured root infections AMF colonization. found no diversity abundance petiolata, suggesting suppression not implied experiments. Instead, pathogen community composition marginal increase lesions growing lending support EEH. In addition these health, ectomycorrhiza, other nutrient cycling forces underlying its impact ecosystem function.