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Negative plant-soil feedbacks disproportionally affect dominant plants, facilitating coexistence in plant communities

Biology

Negative plant-soil feedbacks disproportionally affect dominant plants, facilitating coexistence in plant communities

E. P. Goossens, V. Minden, et al.

Discover how plant-soil feedbacks influence plant coexistence and investigate their role in invasive species success. Conducted by Elias P. Goossens, Vanessa Minden, Flor Van Poucke, and Harry Olde Venterink from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, this research reveals surprising insights into the dynamics of plant communities.

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Playback language: English
Abstract
Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) are considered major drivers of plant species coexistence and exotic invasions. This study combined monoculture and community experiments to assess whether PSFs in monocultures predict PSFs in communities and to investigate the role of PSFs in invasive plant success. Results showed that monoculture PSFs poorly predicted community PSFs; invasive species' competitive strength didn't consistently depend on PSF; and dominant species experienced stronger negative PSFs than non-dominant species in communities. Negative PSFs, particularly affecting dominant species, appear to be a major driver of plant species coexistence.
Publisher
npj Biodiversity
Published On
Dec 21, 2023
Authors
Elias P. Goossens, Vanessa Minden, Flor Van Poucke, Harry Olde Venterink
Tags
plant-soil feedbacks
species coexistence
invasive species
competitive strength
dominant species
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