title: DissectingSolidago canadensis-soil feedback in its real invasion.
abstract: The importance of plant-soil feedback (PSF) has long been recognized, but the current knowledge on PSF patterns and the related mechanisms mainly stems from laboratory experiments. We aimed at addressing PSF effects on community performance and their determinants using an invasive forbSolidago canadensis. To do so, we surveyed 81 pairs of invaded versus uninvaded plots, collected soil samples from these pairwise plots, and performed an experiment with microcosm plant communities. The magnitudes of conditioning soil abiotic properties and soil biotic properties byS. canadensiswere similar, but the direction was opposite; altered abiotic and biotic properties influenced the production of subsequentS. canadensiscommunities and its abundance similarly. These processes shaped neutralS. canadensis-soil feedback effects at the community level. Additionally, the relative dominance ofS. canadensisincreased with its ability of competitive suppression in the absence and presence ofS. canadensis-soil feedbacks, andS. canadensis-induced decreases in native plant species did not alter soil properties directly. These findings provide a basis for understanding PSF effects and the related mechanisms in the field conditions and also highlight the importance of considering PSFs holistically.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.
authors.forename: Li-Jia
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2138-6411
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.
authors.forename: Jian-Xia
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.
authors.forename: Hong-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China; College of Resources and Environment University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China.
authors.forename: Wei-Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: He
keywords: abiotic effect; biotic effects; community structure and function; competitive tolerance and suppression; invader–soil feedback; structural equation modeling