Herbivory mediates the response of below-ground food webs to invasive grasses.

ABSTRACT: Below-ground food webs in grasslands are affected by both above-ground herbivory and invasive plant species. However, the combined effects of these factors on soil organisms and their interactions with plant communities remain poorly understood. We investigated how the invasive African lovegrass (ALG) influenced below-ground food webs in south-eastern Australian grasslands under different herbivory regimes. Using experimental exclosures, we established four treatments varying in herbivore presence (all animals present, non-native mammals excluded, all mammals excluded, all above-ground dwelling animals excluded) across sites dominated either by native kangaroo grass (KG; native sites) or co-dominated by KG and ALG (invaded sites). After 4 years, our results revealed that invasive grasses s

SUBMITTER: Junod MF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12484429 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature