Changes in substrate quality driven by climate, land use, or other forms of global change may represent a strong selective force on microbial communities. Invasion of new taxa into a community through dispersal, evolution, or recolonization could impact the outcome of this environmental selection. Here, we simulated substrate change with a trait\uffe2\uff80\uff90based model of microbial litter decomposition (DEMENTpy) to assess the legacy effects of past substrate quality and the impact of selection by a new substrate on community decomposition activity. Simulations were run with different levels of invasion, including invasion from communities long\uffe2\uff80\uff90adapted to the new substrate. Legacy effects were evident with substrate change for native communities differing in composition. Protein was the only substrate that exerted a strong enough selective force to affect community composition. Legacy effects disappeared when invaders came from substrates similar to the new substrate. Together, our simulations demonstrate that substrate quality changes associated with global change can lead to legacy effects on substrate degradation. In decomposing plant litter, such legacy effects can occur if substrate inputs shift to higher protein content and if invasion is low.Successfully managing invasive plants in natural systems is extremely difficult. Recently however, progress has been made with an approach focused on changing ecosystem processes through the disturbance regime. We performed a large-scale (3 ha) full-factorial field experiment in densely invaded woodland in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, a savanna reserve in South Africa, to study the effect of fire on the control of the pan-tropical invasive exotic shrub Chromolaena odorata in combination with the conventional method, i.e. manual clearing and herbicide application. We show how fire interacted with the conventional clearing of C. odorata and induced an intense canopy fire that caused a shift from woodland to grassland. After 2.5 years of monitoring, grasses were still dominant and re-invasion minimal. It is important to note that fire without prior clearing did not have the same effect and was not successful in reducing densities of C. odorata. An integrated control practice targeting the species with mechanical and chemical methods, while simultaneously targeting its habitat through fire, effectively controlled dense C. odorata thickets during the course of the experiment. However, this approach transformed regular surface fires into high-intensity canopy fires that are rare in savannas. We discuss how this altered fire regime may threaten native habitats, including fire-sensitive forest patches and riverine woodlands within the savanna mozaic. This is an important dilemma for managers that should not be overlooked and asks for long-term data on the impact of control programs on the native vegetation.
", "keywords": ["ALIEN PLANTS", "0106 biological sciences", "570", "BURN AGRICULTURE", "Ecology", "Conservation", "15. Life on land", "Fire", "ECOLOGY", "01 natural sciences", "Integrative management", "Tree-grass dynamics", "Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park", "BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS", "EUPATORIUM-ODORATUM", "NATURE RESERVES", "ECOSYSTEMS", "Biological invasions", "NATIONAL-PARK", "ENVIRONMENTS FOLLOWING SLASH", "Ecology", " Evolution", " Behavior and Systematics", "TROPICAL SAVANNAS"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-011-0102-z"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Biological%20Invasions", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s10530-011-0102-z", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s10530-011-0102-z", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s10530-011-0102-z"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2011-09-16T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s10533-012-9808-y", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-26T16:14:36Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2012-10-31", "title": "Earthworms, Litter And Soil Carbon In A Northern Hardwood Forest", "description": "The important role of soil carbon (C) in the global C cycle has stimulated interest in better understanding the mechanisms regulating soil C storage and its stabilization. Exotic earthworm invasion of northern forest soils in North America can affect soil C pools, and we examined their effects on these mechanisms by adding 13C labeled leaf litter to adjacent northern hardwood forests with and without earthworms. Two types of labeled litter were produced, one with the 13C more concentrated in structural (S) components and the other in non-structural (NS) components, to evaluate the role of biochemical differences in soil C stabilization. Earthworm invasions have reduced soil C storage in the upper 20\u00a0cm of the soil profile by 37\u00a0%, mostly by eliminating surface organic horizons. Despite rapid mixing of litter into mineral soil and its incorporation into aggregates, mineral soil C has not increased in the presence of earthworms. Incorporation of litter C into soil and microbial biomass was not affected by biochemical differences between S versus NS labeled litter although NS litter C was assimilated more readily into earthworm biomass and S litter C into fungal hyphae. Apparently, the net effect of earthworm mixing of litter and forest floor C into mineral soil, plus stabilization of that C in aggregates, is counterbalanced by earthworm bioturbation and possible priming effects. Our results support recent arguments that biochemical recalcitrance is not a major contributor to the stabilization of soil C.", "keywords": ["IMPACTS", "Decomposition", "STABILIZATION", "Multidisciplinary", "biomass", "MICROBIAL BIOMASS", "INVASION", "Microbial biomass", "TEMPERATE", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "SEQUESTRATION", "15. Life on land", "Fungal hyphae", "Aggregation", "Microbial", "Sugar maple", "FORESTS", "DISSOLVED ORGANIC-MATTER", "PATTERNS", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "USA", "Environmental Sciences", "Geosciences", "Isotope labeling", "CENTRAL NEW-YORK"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-012-9808-y"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Biogeochemistry", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s10533-012-9808-y", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s10533-012-9808-y", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s10533-012-9808-y"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1007/s11104-005-1257-0", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:14:44Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2005-11-17", "title": "Increased Topsoil Mineral Nutrient Concentrations Under Exotic Invasive Plants In Belgium", "description": "Exotic invasive plants can alter ecosystem processes. For the first time in Europe, we have analysed the impacts of exotic invasive plants on topsoil chemical properties. At eight sites invaded by five exotic invasive species (Fallopia japonica, Heracleum mantegazzianum, Solidago gigantea, Prunus serotina and Rosa rugosa), soil mineral element composition was compared between invaded patches and adjacent, uninvaded vegetation. We found increased concentrations of exchangeable essential nutrients under the canopy of exotic invasive plants, most strikingly so for K and Mn (32% and 34% increase, respectively). This result fits in well with previous reports of enhanced N dynamics in invaded sites, partly due to higher net primary productivity in exotic invasive plants compared to native vegetation.", "keywords": ["Soil nutrients", "0106 biological sciences", "Plant-soil interactions", "Invasive species", "Alien species", "Ecosystem processes", "Plant invasions", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "P\u00e9dologie", "Agronomie du sol", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Botanique g\u00e9n\u00e9rale"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-1257-0"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Plant%20and%20Soil", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11104-005-1257-0", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11104-005-1257-0", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11104-005-1257-0"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2005-08-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.009", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:15:27Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-09-18", "title": "Changes in the genetic structure of an invasive earthworm species (Lumbricus terrestris, Lumbricidae) along an urban \u2013 rural gradient in North America", "description": "European earthworms were introduced to North America by European settlers about 400 years ago. Human-mediated introductions significantly contributed to the spread of European species, which commonly are used as fishing bait and are often disposed deliberately in the wild. We investigated the genetic structure of Lumbricus terrestris in a 100 km range south of Calgary, Canada, an area that likely was devoid of this species two decades ago. Genetic relationships among populations, gene flow, and migration events among populations were investigated using seven microsatellite markers and the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene. Earthworms were collected at different distances from the city and included fishing baits from three different bait distributors. The results suggest that field populations in Alberta established rather recently and that bait and field individuals in the study area have a common origin. Genetic variance within populations decreased outside of the urban area, and the most distant populations likely originated from a single introduction event. The results emphasise the utility of molecular tools to understand the spatial extent and connectivity of populations of exotic species, in particular soil-delling species, that invade native ecosystems and to obtain information on the origin of populations. Such information is crucial for developing management and prevention strategies to limit and control establishment of non-native earthworms in North America.", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "0301 basic medicine", "570", "03 medical and health sciences", "Ecology", " evolutionary biology", "11. Sustainability", "15. Life on land", "Microsatellites", " Exotic earthworms", " Invasion", " Gene flow", " Dispersal", " Population structure", " Soil", "01 natural sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.009"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20Soil%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.009", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.009", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.009"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1365-2389.2010.01313.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Restricted", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:18:39Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2010-11-16", "title": "Earthworm-Induced N Mineralization In Fertilized Grassland Increases Both N2o Emission And Crop-N Uptake", "description": "Earthworms can increase plant nitrogen (N) availability by stimulating mineralization of organic matter. However, recent studies show that they can also cause elevated emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). It is unclear to what extent these two effects occur in fertilized grasslands, where earthworm densities are typically greatest. The aims of this study were therefore to (i) quantify the effects of earthworm activity on N uptake and N2O emissions in fertilized grasslands and (ii) link these effects to earthworm functional groups. In a 73\uffe2\uff80\uff90day factorial mesocosm experiment, combinations of Lumbricus rubellus (Lr, epigeic), Aporrectodea longa (Al, anecic) and Aporrectodea caliginosa (Ac, endogeic) individuals were introduced into columns with grass growing on a fertilized (250 kg N ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921) loamy soil. Introduction of Lr resulted in 50.8% (P < 0.001) larger N2O emissions and 5.4% (P = 0.032) larger grass biomass. Grass\uffe2\uff80\uff90N uptake increased from 172 to 188 kg N ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 in the presence of Lr (P < 0.001), from 176 to 183 kg N ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 in the presence of Ac (P = 0.001), and from 168 to 199 kg N ha\uffe2\uff88\uff921 when all three earthworm species were present (P = 0.006). Lr increased soil NH4+\uffe2\uff80\uff90N concentrations (P = 0.010), further indicating enhanced mineralization of N caused by earthworm activity. We conclude that the previously observed beneficial effect of earthworm presence on plant\uffe2\uff80\uff90N availability has a negative side\uffe2\uff80\uff90effect: increased emissions of the mineralized N as N2O.
", "keywords": ["forests", "2. Zero hunger", "agroecosystems", "habitat", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "carbon-dioxide", "invasion", "populations", "fluxes", "soil-structure", "13. Climate action", "nitrous-oxide emission", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "organic-matter"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2010.01313.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/European%20Journal%20of%20Soil%20Science", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1365-2389.2010.01313.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1365-2389.2010.01313.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2010.01313.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2010-11-16T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1365-2656.12746", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:18:25Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-08-18", "title": "Invasive earthworms erode soil biodiversity: A meta-analysis", "description": "Abstract
Biological invasions pose a serious threat to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across ecosystems. Invasions by ecosystem engineers, in particular, have been shown to have dramatic effects in recipient ecosystems. For instance, invasion by earthworms, a below\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground invertebrate ecosystem engineer, in previously earthworm\uffe2\uff80\uff90free ecosystems alters the physico\uffe2\uff80\uff90chemical characteristics of the soil. Studies have shown that such alterations in the soil can have far\uffe2\uff80\uff90reaching impacts on soil organisms, which form a major portion of terrestrial biodiversity.
Here, we present the first quantitative synthesis of earthworm invasion effects on soil micro\uffe2\uff80\uff90organisms and soil invertebrates based on 430 observations from 30 independent studies.
Our meta\uffe2\uff80\uff90analysis shows a significant decline of the diversity and density of soil invertebrates in response to earthworm invasion with anecic and endogeic earthworms causing the strongest effects. Earthworm invasion effects on soil micro\uffe2\uff80\uff90organisms were context\uffe2\uff80\uff90dependent, such as depending on functional group richness of invasive earthworms and soil depth. Microbial biomass and diversity increased in mineral soil layers, with a weak negative effect in organic soil layers, indicating that the mixing of soil layers by earthworms (bioturbation) may homogenize microbial communities across soil layers.
Our meta\uffe2\uff80\uff90analysis provides a compelling evidence for negative effects of a common invasive below\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground ecosystem engineer on below\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground biodiversity of recipient ecosystems, which could potentially alter the ecosystem functions and services linked to soil biota.
", "keywords": ["Biodiversity change", "0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Soil invertebrates", "Population Dynamics", "Soil micro-organisms", "Biodiversity", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Invertebrates", "01 natural sciences", "Chemistry", "Soil", "Ecosystem engineer", "13. Climate action", "Animals", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Oligochaeta", "Introduced Species", "Biology", "Biological invasion", "Ecosystem", "Soil Microbiology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1365-2656.12746"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12746"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Animal%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1365-2656.12746", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1365-2656.12746", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1365-2656.12746"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-09-28T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1365-2745.13504", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:18:26Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-09-25", "title": "Invasive earthworms reduce chemical defense and increase herbivory and pathogen infection in native trees", "description": "Abstract
Recent research shows that earthworms can alter defense traits of plants against herbivores and pathogens by affecting soil biochemistry. Yet, the effects of invasive earthworms on defense traits of native plants from previously earthworm\uffe2\uff80\uff90free ecosystems as well as the consequences for multitrophic interactions are virtually unknown.
Here we use a combination of an observational study and a complementary experimental study to investigate the effects of invasive earthworms on leaf defense traits, herbivore damage and pathogen infection in two poplar tree species (Populus balsamifera and Populus tremuloides) native to North American boreal forests.
Our observational study showed that earthworm invasion was associated with enhanced leaf herbivory (by leaf\uffe2\uff80\uff90chewing insects) in saplings of both tree species. However, we only detected significant shifts in the concentration of chemical defense compounds in response to earthworm invasion for P. balsamifera. Specifically, leaf phenolic concentrations, including salicinoids and catechin, were lower in P. balsamifera from earthworm\uffe2\uff80\uff90invaded sites.
Our experimental study confirmed an earthworm\uffe2\uff80\uff90induced reduction in leaf defense levels in P. balsamifera for one of the defense compounds, tremulacin. The experimental study additionally showed that invasive earthworms reduced leaf dry matter content, potentially increasing leaf palatability, and enhanced susceptibility of trees to infection by a fungal pathogen, but not to aphid infestation, in the same tree species.
Synthesis. Our results show that invasive earthworms can decrease the concentrations of some chemical defense compounds in P. balsamifera, which could make them susceptible to leaf\uffe2\uff80\uff90chewing insects. Such potential impacts of invasive earthworms are likely to have implications for tree survival and competition, native tree biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "multi-trophic interactions", "secondary metabolites", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "invasion ecology", "plant\u2013herbivore interactions", "13. Climate action", "international", "physical defense", "570 Life sciences; biology", "boreal forests", "Plan_S-Compliant_TA", "Research Articles", "belowground invasion"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://boris.unibe.ch/152111/1/1365-2745.13504.pdf"}, {"href": "https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1365-2745.13504"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13504"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1365-2745.13504", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1365-2745.13504", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1365-2745.13504"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-10-09T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/gcb.13446", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-26T16:18:33Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2016-09-03", "title": "The unseen invaders: introduced earthworms as drivers of change in plant communities in North American forests (a meta-analysis)", "description": "AbstractGlobally, biological invasions can have strong impacts on biodiversity as well as ecosystem functioning. While less conspicuous than introduced aboveground organisms, introduced belowground organisms may have similarly strong effects. Here, we synthesize for the first time the impacts of introduced earthworms on plant diversity and community composition in North American forests. We conducted a meta\uffe2\uff80\uff90analysis using a total of 645 observations to quantify mean effect sizes of associations between introduced earthworm communities and plant diversity, cover of plant functional groups, and cover of native and non\uffe2\uff80\uff90native plants. We found that plant diversity significantly declined with increasing richness of introduced earthworm ecological groups. While plant species richness or evenness did not change with earthworm invasion, our results indicate clear changes in plant community composition: cover of graminoids and non\uffe2\uff80\uff90native plant species significantly increased, and cover of native plant species (of all functional groups) tended to decrease, with increasing earthworm biomass. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that introduced earthworms facilitate particular plant species adapted to the abiotic conditions of earthworm\uffe2\uff80\uff90invaded forests. Further, our study provides evidence that introduced earthworms are associated with declines in plant diversity in North American forests. Changing plant functional composition in these forests may have long\uffe2\uff80\uff90lasting effects on ecosystem functioning.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "NONNATIVE EARTHWORMS", "ECOSYSTEM ENGINEER", "introduced earthworms", "biological invasions", "SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT", "Forests", "01 natural sciences", "BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS", "GLOBAL METAANALYSIS", "HARDWOOD FORESTS", "Journal Article", "BIODIVERSITY CHANGE", "Animals", "ENDOGEIC EARTHWORMS", "earthworm invasion", "community composition", "Oligochaeta", "Ecosystem", "Biodiversity", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "Primary Research Articles", "plant diversity", "United States", "plant communities", "meta-analysis", "Environmental sciences", "Ecology", " evolutionary biology", "13. Climate action", "TEMPERATE FORESTS", "INVASIVE EARTHWORMS", "Introduced Species"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.13446"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13446"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/gcb.13446", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/gcb.13446", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/gcb.13446"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2016-09-03T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.5dv41nsd1", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "unspecified", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:21:21Z", "type": "Dataset", "created": "2024-01-22", "title": "Data and R code used in: Plant geographic distribution influences chemical defenses in native and introduced Plantago lanceolata populations", "description": "unspecified# Data and R code used in: Plant geographic distribution influences chemical defenses in native and introduced Plantago lanceolata populations ## Description of the data and file structure * **00_ReadMe_DescriptonVariables.csv**: A list with the description of variables from each file used. * **00_Metadata_Coordinates.csv :** A dataset that includes the coordinates of each Plantago lanceolata population used. * **00_Metadata_Climate.csv :** A dataset that includes coordinates, bioclimatic parameters, and the results of PCA. The dataset was created based on the script '1_Environmental variables.qmd' * **00_Metadata_Individuals.csv:** A dataset that includes general information about each plant individual. Information about root traits and chemistry is missing in four samples since we lost the samples. * **01_Datset_PlantTraits.csv:** Size-related and resource allocation traits measured of *Plantago lanceolata* and herbivore damage. * **02_Dataset_TargetedCompounds.csv:** Phytohormones, Iridoid glycosides, Verbascoside and Flavonoids quantification of the leaves and roots of *Plantago lanceolata*. Data generated from HPLC * **03_Dataset_Volatiles_Area.csv:** Area of identified volatile compounds. Data generated from GC-FID * **03_Dataset_Volatiles_Compounds.csv:** Information on identified volatile compounds. Data generated from GC-MS. * **04_Dataset_Metabolome_Negative_Metadata.txt:** Metadata for files in negative mode * **04_Dataset_Metabolome_Negative_Intensity.xlsx :** File with the intensity of the metabolite features in negative mode. The file was generated from Metaboscape and adapted as required for the Notame package. * **04_Dataset_Metabolome_Negative_Intensity_filtered.xlsx:** File generated after preprocessing of features in negative mode. During the notadame pacakged preprossesing 0 were converted to na * **04_Dataset_Metabolome_Negative.msmsonly.csv:** File with a intensity of the the metabolite features in negative mode with ms/ms data. File generated from Metaboscape. * **04_Results_Metabolome_Negative_canopus_compound_summary.tsv:** Feature classification. Results generated from Sirius software. * **04_Results_Metabolome_Negative_compound_identifications.tsv:** Feature identification. Results generated from Sirius software. * **05_Dataset_Metabolome_Positive_Metadata.txt:** Metadata for files in positive mode * **05_DatasetMetabolome_Positive_Intensity.xlsx :** File with a intensity of the the metabolite features in positive mode. File generated from Metaboscape and adapted as required for the Notame package. * **05_Dataset_Metabolome_Positive_Intensity_filtered:** File generated after preprocessing of features in positive mode.During the notadame pacakged preprossesing 0 were converted to na ## ## Code/Software * **1_Environmental vairables.qmd:** Rscript to Retrieve bioclimatic variables from based on the coordinates of each population and then perform a principal components analysis to reduce the axes variation and included the first principal component as an explanatory variable in our model to estimate trait differences between native and introduced populations. Figure 1b and 1d * **2_PlantTraits_and_Herbivory:** Rscript for statistical anaylsis of size-related traits, resource allocation traits and herbivore damage. Figure 2. It needs to source: Model_1_Fucntion.R, Model_2_Fucntion.R, Plot_Function.R * **3_Metabolome:** Rscript for statistical anaylsis of *Plantago lanceolata* metabolome. Figure 3. It needs to source: Metabolome_preprocessing_R, Model_1_Fucntion.R, Model_2_Fucntion.R, Plot_Function.R. * **4_TargetedCompounds:** Rscript for statistical anaylsis of *Plantago lanceolata* targeted compounds. Figure 4. It needs to source: Model_1_Fucntion.R, Model_2_Fucntion.R, Plot_Function.R * **5_Volatilome:** Rscript for statistical anaylsis of *Plantago lanceolata* metabolome. Figure 5. It needs to source: Model_1_Fucntion.R, Model_2_Fucntion.R, Plot_Function.R * **Model_1_Function.R** : Function to run statistical models * **Model_2_Function.R** : Function to run statistical models * **Plots_Function.R** : Function to run plot graphs * **Metabolome_prepocessing.R:** Script to preprocess features", "keywords": ["environmental gradient", "FOS: Biological sciences", "Metabolomics", "Herbivory", "Volatile organic compounds", "iridoid glycosides", "verbascoside", "plant invasion"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Medina-van Berkum, Pamela, Schm\u00f6ckel, Eric, Bischoff, Armin, Carrasco-Farias, Natalia, Catford, Jane, Feldmann, Reinart, Groten, Karin, Henry, Hugh, Bucharova, Anna, H\u00e4nniger, Sabine, Luong, Justin, Meis, Julia, Oetama, Vincensius S. P., P\u00e4rtel, Meelis, Power, Sally, Villellas, Jesus, Welk, Erik, Wingler, Astrid, Rothe, Beate, Gershenzon, Jonathan, Reichelt, Michael, Roscher, Christiane, Unsicker, Sybille B.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.5dv41nsd1"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.5dv41nsd1", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.5dv41nsd1", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.5dv41nsd1"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-02-08T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1890/05-0836", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:19:45Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2007-06-04", "title": "Bromus Tectorum Invasion Alters Nitrogen Dynamics In An Undisturbed Arid Grassland Ecosystem", "description": "The nonnative annual grass Bromus tectorum has successfully replaced native vegetation in many arid and semiarid ecosystems. Initial introductions accompanied grazing and agriculture, making it difficult to separate the effects of invasion from physical disturbance. This study examined N dynamics in two recently invaded, undisturbed vegetation associations (C3 and C4). The response of these communities was compared to an invaded/ disturbed grassland. The invaded/disturbed communities had higher surface NH4+ input in spring, whereas there were no differences for surface input of NO3-. Soil inorganic N was dominated by NH4+, but invaded sites had greater subsurface soil NO3-. Invaded sites had greater total soil N at the surface four years post-invasion in undisturbed communities, but total N was lower in the invaded/disturbed communities. Soil delta15N increased with depth in the noninvaded and recently invaded communities, whereas the invaded/disturbed communities exhibited the opposite pattern. Enriched foliar delta15N values suggest that Bromus assimilated subsurface NO3-, whereas the native grasses were restricted to surface N. A Rayleigh distillation model accurately described decomposition patterns in the noninvaded communities where soil N loss is accompanied by increasing soil delta15N; however, the invaded/ disturbed communities exhibited the opposite pattern, suggesting redistribution of N within the soil profile. This study suggests that invasion has altered the mechanisms driving nitrogen dynamics. Bromus litter decomposition and soil NO3- concentrations were greater in the invaded communities during periods of ample precipitation, and NO3- leached from the surface litter, where it was assimilated by Bromus. The primary source of N input in these communities is a biological soil crust that is removed with disturbance, and the lack of N input by the biological soil crust did not balance N loss, resulting in reduced total N in the invaded/disturbed communities. Bromus produced a positive feedback loop by leaching NO3- from decomposing Bromus litter to subsurface soil layers, accessing that deepsoil N pool with deep roots and returning that N to the surface as biomass and subsequent litter. Lack of new inputs combined with continued loss will result in lower total soil N, evidenced by the lower total soil N in the invaded/disturbed communities.", "keywords": ["ecosystem", "0106 biological sciences", "Nitrates", "550", "Nitrogen Isotopes", "Bromus", "Nitrogen", "Rain", "Population Dynamics", "arid", "Biodiversity", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "Poaceae", "01 natural sciences", "nitrogen", "Soil", "Natural Resources and Conservation", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "Biomass", "Seasons", "grassland", "bromus tectorum invasion", "Environmental Sciences", "Ecosystem"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Sperry, L. J., Belnap, J., Evans, R. D.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1890/05-0836"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1890/05-0836", "name": "item", "description": "10.1890/05-0836", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1890/05-0836"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2006-03-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1890/05-0333", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:19:45Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2007-06-04", "title": "Soil Biota Can Change After Exotic Plant Invasion: Does This Affect Ecosystem Processes?", "description": "Invasion of the exotic annual grass Bromus tectorum into stands of the native perennial grass Hilaria jamesii significantly reduced the abundance of soil biota, especially microarthropods and nematodes. Effects of invasion on active and total bacterial and fungal biomass were variable, although populations generally increased after 50+ years of invasion. The invasion of Bromus also resulted in a decrease in richness and a species shift in plants, microarthropods, fungi, and nematodes. However, despite the depauperate soil fauna at the invaded sites, no effects were seen on cellulose decomposition rates, nitrogen mineralization rates, or vascular plant growth. When Hilaria was planted into soils from not-invaded, recently invaded, and historically invaded sites (all currently or once dominated by Hilaria), germination and survivorship were not affected. In contrast, aboveground Hilaria biomass was significantly greater in recently invaded soils than in the other two soils. We attributed the Hilaria respons...", "keywords": ["580", "ecosystem", "2. Zero hunger", "0106 biological sciences", "Natural Resources and Conservation", "biota", "15. Life on land", "exotic plant invasion", "01 natural sciences", "Environmental Sciences", "soil"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Susan L. Phillips, Andy Moldenke, Jayne Belnap, Jayne Belnap, Susan K. Sherrod,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1890/05-0333"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1890/05-0333", "name": "item", "description": "10.1890/05-0333", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1890/05-0333"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2005-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.2307/1940889", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:20:18Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2006-05-09", "title": "Effects Of Invasion Of An Aspen Forest (Canada) By Dendrobaena-Octaedra (Lumbricidae) On Plant-Growth", "description": "Effects of invasion of an aspen forest in the Canadian Rocky Mountains by the earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny) on nutrient mineralization, soil microflora, and plant growth were investigated during the growth period of 1992. Experimental chambers with reconstructed forest floor were placed in the field and destructively sampled after 7 and 14 wk. D. octaedra enhanced the shoot biomass of the grass Agropyron trachycaulum (Link) Malte (Poaceae) and increased the shoot\uffe2\uff80\uff94to\uffe2\uff80\uff94root ratio during early plant growth. Microbial biomass, basal respiration and respiratory quotient qCO2 in L/F layer material were reduced by D. octaedra but increased in the H layer. The nutrient (NH4+, NO3\uffe2\uff80\uff94, PO43\uffe2\uff80\uff94) content in soil was also affected by D. octaedra but the effects were small. Effects of the earthworms on soil nutrient content were masked by the great variation in the data and by leaching of nutrients from experimental chambers.
", "keywords": ["roots", "microbes and plants", "soil chemistry", "growth", "populus", "microflora and plants", "Invasion effects on nutrients", "Alberta", "forest soils", "microflora and plants in aspen forest", "Dendrobaena octaedra (Oligochaeta): Element cycles", "Forest and woodland", "nutrients", "biomass production", "Invasion consequences for ecosystem processes in forest soils", "impacts of invasion in aspen forest soils", "mineralization", "Annelids", "effects", "invasion impacts on ecosystem processes", "forests", "2. Zero hunger", "plant morphology", "effects on nutrients", "biomass", "soil fertility", "grasslands", "Habitat colonization", "KananaskisValley", "woodland grasslands", "Dispersal", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "invasion", "Invasion of aspen forest soils effects on nutrients", "Invertebrates", "soil biology", "introduced species", "Soil habitat", "Aspen forest soils", "Nutrient mineralization", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "dendrobaena", "Impact on habitat", "root shoot ratio", "elymus trachycaulus", "soil fauna", "forest trees", "shoots"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Scheu, Stefan, Parkinson, Dennis,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.2307/1940889"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.2307/1940889", "name": "item", "description": "10.2307/1940889", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.2307/1940889"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "1994-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.c866t1gfw", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "unspecified", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:21:25Z", "type": "Dataset", "created": "2024-06-14", "title": "Data from: Arbuscular mycorrhizal communities respond to nutrient enrichment and plant invasion in phosphorus-limited eucalypt woodlands", "description": "unspecified# Arbuscular mycorrhizal communities respond to nutrient enrichment and plant invasion in phosphorus-limited eucalypt woodlands [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c866t1gfw](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c866t1gfw) This data was used to conduct all analyses of the linked article. It contains treatments allocated to each sample, as well as all soil chemistry, vegetation, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) variables ## Description of the data and file structure Three data files are provided: a raw community matrix of AMF (i.e. prior rarefaction), a raw community matrix of plants, and a data frame with the other is the environmental data frame with\u00a0all soil chemistry, vegetation cover and richness, and AMF richness. Please refer to the published article for methodology on how these data were collected. All three data files are connected by the 'sample' column from each data file. Each data file is in excel form and has two sheets: one with the data, and one with the metadata that explains each column. Missing data code: NA", "keywords": ["nutrient enrichment", "Mucoromycotina", "FOS: Biological sciences", "Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi", "Glomeromycotina", "Ecosystem degradation", "Ecological restoration", "Mediterranean-climate eucalypt woodlands", "plant invasion"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Albornoz, Felipe, Prober, Suzanne, Bissett, Andrew, Tibbett, Mark, Standish, Rachel,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c866t1gfw"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.c866t1gfw", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.c866t1gfw", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.c866t1gfw"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2024-06-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3897/neobiota.55.46874", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:21:07Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-04-06", "title": "In-season leaf damage by a biocontrol agent explains reproductive output of an invasive plant species", "description": "One of the biggest challenges in classical biological control of invasive weeds is predicting the likelihood of success. Ambrosia artemisiifolia, a North American plant species that has become invasive in Europe, causes economic losses due to health problems resulting from its huge amount of highly allergenic pollen and as a weed to agricultural crops resulting from high seed densities. Here we assessed whether the pollen and seed output of the annual A. artemisiifolia (at the end of the season) is related to in-season abundance of, or damage by, the accidentally introduced biological control agent Ophraella communa. We monitored the growth and leaf damage of individually labelled A. artemisiifolia plants at four locations in Northern Italy and recorded abundance of different O. communa life stages at regular intervals. We found that the in-season level of leaf damage by O. communa consistently helped to explain seed production in combination with plant volume and site throughout the season. Feeding damage, plant volume and site also explained pollen production by A. artemisiifolia six weeks before male flower formation. At three out of four sites, plants with more than 10% leaf damage in mid-June or early July had a very low likelihood of seed formation. Leaf damage proved to be a better explanatory variable than O. communa abundance. Our results suggest that the monitoring of the in-season leaf damage can help to project the local impact of O. communa on A. artemisiifolia at the end of the season and thus inform management regarding the needs for additional measures to control this prominent invader.Earth is experiencing a substantial loss of biodiversity at the global scale, while both species gains and losses are occurring at local and regional scales. The influence of these nonrandom changes in species distributions could profoundly affect the functioning of ecosystems and the essential services that they provide. However, few experimental tests have been conducted examining the influence of species invasions on ecosystem functioning. Even fewer have been conducted using invasive ecosystem engineers, which can have disproportionately strong influence on native ecosystems relative to their own biomass. The invasion of exotic earthworms is a prime example of an ecosystem engineer that is influencing many ecosystems around the world. In particular, European earthworm invasions of northern North American forests cause simultaneous species gains and losses with significant consequences for essential ecosystem processes like nutrient cycling and crucial services to humanity like soil erosion control and carbon sequestration. Exotic earthworms are expected to select for specific traits in communities of soil microorganisms (fast-growing bacteria species), soil fauna (promoting the bacterial energy channel), and plants (graminoids) through direct and indirect effects. This will accelerate some ecosystem processes and decelerate others, fundamentally altering how invaded forests function. This project aims to investigate ecosystem responses of northern North American forests to earthworm invasion. Using a novel, synthetic combination of field observations, field experiments, lab experiments, and meta-analyses, the proposed work will be the first systematic examination of earthworm effects on (1) plant communities and (2) soil food webs and processes. Further, (3) effects of a changing climate (warming and reduced summer precipitation) on earthworm performance will be investigated in a unique field experiment designed to predict the future spread and consequences of earthworm invasion in North America. By assessing the soil chemical and physical properties as well as the taxonomic (e.g., by the latest next-generation sequencing techniques) and functional composition of plant, soil microbial and animal communities and the processes they drive in four forests, work packages I-III take complementary approaches to derive a comprehensive and generalizable picture of how ecosystems change in response to earthworm invasion. Finally, in work package IV, meta-analyses will be used to integrate the information from work packages I-III and existing literature to investigate if earthworms cause invasion waves, invasion meltdowns, habitat homogenization, and ecosystem state shifts. Global data will be synthesized to test if the relative magnitude of effects differs from place to place depending on the functional dissimilarity between native soil fauna and exotic earthworms. Moving from local to global scale, the present proposal examines the influence of earthworm invasions on biodiversity\uffe2\uff80\uff93ecosystem functioning relationships from an aboveground\uffe2\uff80\uff93belowground perspective in natural settings. This approach is highly innovative as it utilizes the invasion by exotic earthworms as an exciting model system that links invasion biology with trait-based community ecology, global change research, and ecosystem ecology, pioneering a new generation of biodiversity\uffe2\uff80\uff93ecosystem functioning research.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Science", "biodiversity-ecosystem functioning", "Q", "Aboveground-belowground interactions", "earthworms", "soil food webs", "15. Life on land", "invasion", "biodivers", "01 natural sciences", "plant communities", "biodiversity change", "13. Climate action", "11. Sustainability", "Lumbricidae", "global change"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.5.e34564"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Research%20Ideas%20and%20Outcomes", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3897/rio.5.e34564", "name": "item", "description": "10.3897/rio.5.e34564", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3897/rio.5.e34564"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-04-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8png", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "unspecified", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:21:29Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Shrub encroachment decreases soil inorganic carbon stocks in Mongolian grasslands", "description": "1. Widespread shrub encroachment in global drylands may increase plant biomass and change soil organic carbon stocks of grassland ecosystems. However, the response of soil inorganic carbon (SIC), which is a major component of dryland carbon pools, to this vegetation shift remains unknown. 2. We conducted a systematic field survey in 75 pairs of shrub-encroached grassland and control plots at 25 sites in the grasslands of the Inner Mongolia Plateau to evaluate how shrub encroachment affects SIC density (SICD) in these ecosystems. 3. We found that shrub encroachment significantly reduced SICD in the upper 100 cm (3.85 vs. 4.74 kg C m-2, P < 0.05), especially in the subsurface soil (20-50 cm layer). The magnitude of SICD changes was related to the change in soil pH, shrub patch size, and initial SICD, reflecting that the reduction in SICD might be attributed to the shrub encroachment-related soil acidification. Our results also revealed that the lost SIC was mainly released into the atmosphere rather than redistributed into deeper soil layers. 4. Synthesis. We provide the first evidence for the soil acidification-induced SIC loss caused by shrub encroachment. Our findings highlight the non-negligible role of SIC dynamics in the C budget of shrub-encroached grassland ecosystems and the need to consider these dynamics in terrestrial C cycle research.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "carbon budget", "13. Climate action", "Soil inorganic carbon", "Temperate grassland", "carbon source", "soil acidification", "15. Life on land", "shrub encroachment", "Invasion ecology"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Liu, Shangshi, Zhou, Luhong, Li, He, Zhao, Xia, Yang, Yuanhe, Zhu, Yankun, Hu, Huifeng, Chen, Leiyi, Zhang, Pujin, Shen, Haihua, Fang, Jingyun,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8png"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8png", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8png", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.ns1rn8png"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-10-03T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "16041cf1163c84786fd6c1647a02cade", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-26T16:25:06Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Supplementary material 4 from: Augustinus BA, Lommen STE, Fogliatto S, Vidotto F, Smith T, Horvath D, Bonini M, Gentili RF, Citterio S, M\u00fcller-Sch\u00e4rer H, Schaffner U (2020) In-season leaf damage by a biocontrol agent explains reproductive output of an invasive plant species. NeoBiota 55: 117-146. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.55.46874", "description": "Figure S1. Mean plant volume \u00b1 se of A. artemisiifolia plants measured during the experiment in the four experimental sites", "keywords": ["15. Life on land", "Ambrosia artemisiifolia biological invasions classical biological control common ragweed herbivory Ophraella communa"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Augustinus, Benno A., Lommen, Suzanne T. E., Fogliatto, Silvia, Vidotto, Francesco, Smith, Tessa, Horvath, David, Bonini, Maira, Gentili, Rodolfo F., Citterio, Sandra, M\u00fcller-Sch\u00e4rer, Heinz, Schaffner, Urs,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/16041cf1163c84786fd6c1647a02cade"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "16041cf1163c84786fd6c1647a02cade", "name": "item", "description": "16041cf1163c84786fd6c1647a02cade", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/16041cf1163c84786fd6c1647a02cade"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-04-14T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "2318/1735590", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"license": "Open Access", "updated": "2026-07-26T16:25:40Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-04-06", "title": "In-season leaf damage by a biocontrol agent explains reproductive output of an invasive plant species", "description": "One of the biggest challenges in classical biological control of invasive weeds is predicting the likelihood of success. Ambrosia artemisiifolia, a North American plant species that has become invasive in Europe, causes economic losses due to health problems resulting from its huge amount of highly allergenic pollen and as a weed to agricultural crops resulting from high seed densities. Here we assessed whether the pollen and seed output of the annual A. artemisiifolia (at the end of the season) is related to in-season abundance of, or damage by, the accidentally introduced biological control agent Ophraella communa. We monitored the growth and leaf damage of individually labelled A. artemisiifolia plants at four locations in Northern Italy and recorded abundance of different O. communa life stages at regular intervals. We found that the in-season level of leaf damage by O. communa consistently helped to explain seed production in combination with plant volume and site throughout the season. Feeding damage, plant volume and site also explained pollen production by A. artemisiifolia six weeks before male flower formation. At three out of four sites, plants with more than 10% leaf damage in mid-June or early July had a very low likelihood of seed formation. Leaf damage proved to be a better explanatory variable than O. communa abundance. Our results suggest that the monitoring of the in-season leaf damage can help to project the local impact of O. communa on A. artemisiifolia at the end of the season and thus inform management regarding the needs for additional measures to control this prominent invader.