title: Spartina alterniflora invasion alters soil microbial community composition and microbial respiration following invasion chronosequence in a coastal wetland of China.
abstract: The role of exotic plants in regulating soil microbial community structure and activity following invasion chronosequence remains unclear. We investigated soil microbial community structure and microbial respiration following Spartina alterniflora invasion in a chronosequence of 6-, 10-, 17-, and 20-year-old by comparing with bare flat in a coastal wetland of China. S. alterniflora invasion significantly increased soil moisture and salinity, the concentrations of soil water-soluble organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon (MBC), the quantities of total and various types of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), the fungal:bacterial PLFAs ratio and cumulative microbial respiration compared with bare flat. The highest MBC, gram-negative bacterial and saturated straight-chain PLFAs were found in 10-year-old S. alterniflora soil, while the greatest total PLFAs, bacterial and gram-positive bacterial PLFAs were found in 10- and 17-year-old S. alterniflora soils. The monounsaturated:branched PLFAs ratio declined, and cumulative microbial respiration on a per-unit-PLFAs increased following S. alterniflora invasion in the chronosequence. Our results suggest that S. alterniflora invasion significantly increased the biomass of soil various microbial groups and microbial respiration compared to bare flat soil by increasing soil available substrate, and modifying soil physiochemical properties. Soil microbial community reached the most enriched condition in the 10-year-old S. alterniflora community.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Nasreen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jeelani
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Leng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shuqing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: An
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development; D044822:Biodiversity; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D018533:Biomass; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D002681:China; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D058865:Introduced Species; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000502:physiology*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D006109:Poaceae / Q000502:physiology*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D053833:Wetlands; D017155:Wettability
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D012987:Soil; D014867:Water; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen