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Invasion-induced root-fungal disruptions alter plant water and nitrogen economies
  • +5
  • Lalasia Bialic-Murphy,
  • Nicholas Smith,
  • Priya Voothuluru,
  • Robert McElderry,
  • Steven Cassidy,
  • Morgan Roche,
  • Stephanie Kivlin,
  • Susan Kalisz
Lalasia Bialic-Murphy
University of Tennessee

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Nicholas Smith
Texas Tech University
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Priya Voothuluru
University of Tennessee
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Robert McElderry
University of Tennessee
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Steven Cassidy
University of Florida
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Morgan Roche
University of Tennessee
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Stephanie Kivlin
The University of Tennessee Knoxville
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Susan Kalisz
The University of Tennessee Knoxville
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Abstract

Despite widespread evidence that biological invasion influences both the biotic and abiotic soil environments, the extent to which these two pathways underpin the effects of invasion on plant traits and performance is unknown. Leveraging a long-term (14-yr) field experiment, we show that an allelochemical-producing invader affects plants through biotic mechanisms, altering the soil fungal community composition, with no apparent shifts in soil nutrient availability. Changes in belowground fungal communities result in high costs of nutrient uptake for native perennials and a shift in functional traits linked to their water and nutrient use efficiencies. Some species in the invaded community compensate for high nutrient costs by reducing nutrient uptake and maintaining photosynthesis by expending more water, which demonstrates a trade-off in trait investment. For the first time, we show that the disruption of belowground nutritional symbionts can drive native plants toward novel regions in order to maintain their water and nutrient economics.
26 Aug 2020Submitted to Ecology Letters
31 Aug 2020Submission Checks Completed
31 Aug 2020Assigned to Editor
04 Sep 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
29 Sep 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
29 Sep 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Major
04 Dec 20201st Revision Received
04 Dec 2020Submission Checks Completed
04 Dec 2020Assigned to Editor
05 Dec 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
23 Dec 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
23 Dec 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
06 Jan 20212nd Revision Received
12 Jan 2021Submission Checks Completed
12 Jan 2021Assigned to Editor
12 Jan 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
12 Jan 2021Editorial Decision: Accept