Effects of Mustard Invasions on Soil Microbial Abundances and Fungal Assemblages in Southern California

Effects of Mustard Invasions on Soil Microbial Abundances and Fungal Assemblages in Southern California

Although mustards (family, Brassicaceae) are common across southern California, research has not focused on the effects of type-conversion of native California sage scrub (CSS) to areas dominated by invasive mustards. To better understand how mustard invasions, primarily the short-pod mustard, Hirsc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diversity (Basel) Vol. 15; no. 1; p. 50
Main Authors: Wakefield, Zachary R., Cavalcanti, André R. O., Driessen, Lucía, Jaramillo, Ana, Crane, Edward J., Richetta, Giuliano, Meyer, Wallace M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-01-2023
Subjects:
Allelopathy
bacteria
Brassicaceae
Drought
Ecosystem services
Ecosystems
Experiments
Flowers & plants
Fungi
Germination
Grasses
Grasslands
Habitats
Hirschfeldia incana
Invasions
microbiome
Microorganisms
Mustard
Native species
Plant species
Respiration
sage scrub
Seeds
Soil chemistry
Soil microorganisms
Soil pH
Soils
Southern California
United States > US
California
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Summary:Although mustards (family, Brassicaceae) are common across southern California, research has not focused on the effects of type-conversion of native California sage scrub (CSS) to areas dominated by invasive mustards. To better understand how mustard invasions, primarily the short-pod mustard, Hirschfeldia incana, impact soil microbial assemblages, we examined microbial abundance and assemblages from intact CSS and adjacent mustard-dominated soils at three sites. We also explored if germination rates for various plant species differed between CSS and mustard soils. We found that mustard invasions reduce soil microbial abundances by more than 50% and alter soil fungal assemblages. Fungal richness, diversity, and evenness did not differ between habitats, highlighting that these habitats harbor unique microbial assemblages. While mustard allelopathy is predicted to be the primary driver of these changes, mustard invasions also increased soil pH. Although functional consequences of these shifts are unknown, low mustard germination in CSS soils supports biological resistance to mustard invasion in CSS. Overall, our results demonstrate that mustard invasions, H. incana in particular, exert a strong selecting force on soil microbial assemblages, which can influence effective CSS restoration and preservation of ecosystem services.
ISSN:1424-2818
1424-2818
DOI:10.3390/d15010050