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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Invader soil conditioning impacts invader and native plant performance.

Stuart T Schwab¹, Bea Portez¹, George Darrel Jenerette^1,2

¹Botany and Plant Science Department, University of California Riverside, 2142 Batchelor Hall, Riverside, CA 92521, United States.

|February 23, 2026

Summary

Invasive plants alter soil microbes, impacting native plant growth. Plant traits influence native plant vulnerability to these soil changes over time.

Keywords:

functional trait greenhouse experiment plant-soil-biota-interaction tradeoff

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Last Updated: Feb 24, 2026

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Published on: March 26, 2019

Area of Science:

Ecology
Invasive Species Biology
Plant-Soil Interactions

Background:

Invasive plants can alter soil microbial communities, a process known as soil-conditioning, which influences invasion success.
These soil-conditioning effects can change over time and may be modulated by the invader's functional traits.
Native plant responses to these dynamic soil changes may depend on the invasion's extent and plant-specific traits.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the temporal dynamics of soil-conditioning by the invasive plant *Oncosiphon pilulifer*.
To determine how plant functional traits mediate native plant responses to invader soil-conditioning.
To understand the feedback mechanisms between invasive plants, soil biota, and native plant communities.

Main Methods:

A greenhouse experiment utilized a space-for-time substitution approach, using soil from varying *Oncosiphon pilulifer* invasion levels (uninvaded to monoculture).
Native plants and *Oncosiphon pilulifer* were grown in live or sterilized soil inocula from these invasion gradients.
Measurements included plant biomass, mycorrhizal root colonization, and leaf and root traits.

Main Results:

Native plant growth was negatively impacted by soil from patchily invaded areas.
Mycorrhizal root colonization in native plants decreased in soil from *Oncosiphon pilulifer* monocultures.
*Oncosiphon pilulifer* exhibited reduced growth and consistently low root colonization as invasion progressed.

Conclusions:

Invasive plant soil-conditioning effects on native plants vary with invasion intensity.
Plant functional traits, specifically root and leaf characteristics, play a role in mediating plant vulnerability to soil-biota alterations.
Understanding these trait-mediated interactions is crucial for predicting and managing invasive species impacts.