title: Mycorrhizal status helps explain invasion success of alien plant species.
abstract: It is still debated whether alien plants benefit from being mycorrhizal, or if engaging in the symbiosis constrains their establishment and spread in new regions. We analyzed the association between mycorrhizal status of alien plant species in Germany and their invasion success. We compared whether the representation of species with different mycorrhizal status (obligate, facultative, or non-mycorrhizal) differed at several stages of the invasion process. We used generalized linear models to explain the occupied geographical range of alien plants, incorporating interactions of mycorrhizal status with plant traits related to morphology, reproduction, and life-history. Non-naturalized aliens did not differ from naturalized aliens in the relative frequency of different mycorrhizal status categories. Mycorrhizal status significantly explained the occupied range of alien plants; with facultative mycorrhizal species inhabiting a larger range than non-mycorrhizal aliens and obligate mycorrhizal plant species taking an intermediate position. Aliens with storage organs, shoot metamorphoses, or specialized structures promoting vegetative dispersal occupied a larger range when being facultative mycorrhizal. We conclude that being mycorrhizal is important for the persistence of aliens in Germany and constitutes an advantage compared to being non-mycorrhizal. Being facultative mycorrhizal seems to be especially advantageous for successful spread, as the flexibility of this mycorrhizal status may enable plants to use a broader set of ecological strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4105-836X
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menzel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology, Dahlem Center for Plant Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstraße 6, 14195, Berlin, Germany.|Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), 14195, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hempel
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.|German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klotz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 40 Lai Street, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moora
authors.affiliation: Department of Invasion Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic.|Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic.|Department of Botany and Zoology, Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, 7602, South Africa.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pyšek
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology, Dahlem Center for Plant Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstraße 6, 14195, Berlin, Germany.|Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), 14195, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rillig
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 40 Lai Street, Tartu, 51005, Estonia.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zobel
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.|German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.|Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Ingolf
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kühn
mesh_terms: D004463:Ecology; D005858:Germany; D058865:Introduced Species; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000502:physiology*; D010944:Plants / Q000382:microbiology*; D013559:Symbiosis
keywords: Central Europe; MycoFlor; alien plants; biological invasion; functional traits; invasion stage; mycorrhizal status; neophytes; trait interactions