Plant-soil-foliage feedbacks on seed germination and seedling growth of the invasive plant Ageratina adenophora.

ABSTRACT: Some exotic plants become invasive because they partially release from soil-borne enemies and thus benefit from positive plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) in the introduced range. However, reports that have focused only on PSFs may exaggerate the invader's competitiveness. Here, we conducted three experiments to characterize plant-soil-foliage feedbacks, including mature leaves (ML), leaf litter (LL), rhizosphere soil (RS) and leaves plus soil (LS), on the early growth stages of the invasive plant Ageratina adenophora. In general, the feedbacks from aboveground (ML, LL) adversely affected A. adenophora by delaying germination time, inhibiting germination rate and reducing seedling growth. The increased invasion history exacerbated the adverse effects of LL and LS feedbacks on seedl

SUBMITTER: Fang K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6939910 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature