Distinct effects of phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbes on invader Ageratina adenophora during its early life stages

Abstract

Microbes strongly affect invasive plant growth. However, how the phyllosphere and rhizosphere soil microbes distinctively affect seedling mortality and the growth of invasive plants across ontogeny under varying soil nutrient levels remains unclear. In this study, we used the invader Ageratina adenophora to evaluate these effects in plant growth chambers. We found that leaf litter harboured more potential pathogens and thus had more adverse effects on seed germination and seedling survival than soil inoculation. Microbial inoculation at different growth stages altered the microbial community and microbial functions of seedlings, and earlier inoculation had a more adverse effect on seedling survival and growth. In most cases, the soil nutrient level did not affect microbe-mediated seedling growth and the relative abundance of the microbial community and functions involved in seedling growth. The effects of some microbial genera on seedling survival are distinct from those on growth. Moreover, the A. adenophora seedling-killing effects of fungal strains isolated from dead seedlings by nonsterile leaf inoculation litter exhibited significant phylogenetic signals, by which strains of Allophoma and Alternaria generally caused high seedling mortality. Our study stresses the essential role of A. adenophora litter microbes in population establishment by regulating seedling density and growth.