DOI: 10.5061/dryad.c85gk
title: Data from: Plant-soil interactions shape the identity and persistence of soil organic carbon in invaded ecosystems: implication for legacy effects

description: 1. Introduced, invasive plants can alter local soil chemistry and
 microbial communities, but the underlying mechanisms and extent of these
 changes are largely unknown. Based on characteristics associated with
 invasiveness in plants, it was hypothesized that introduced species that
 produce large amounts of litter with distinctive secondary compounds can
 a) alter the chemistry of both extractable and bulk carbon in the soil, b)
 shift microbial communities towards microbes better able to metabolize the
 compounds in the litter, and c) cause soil carbon chemistry and microbial
 communities to shift to relatively uniform, novel states at multiple
 sites. 2. Composition of phenolics in senescent tissues (leaves and roots)
 of Polygonum cuspidatum was compared to the composition of extractable
 phenolics and non-extractable bulk organic carbon in soils under and
 adjacent to large, long-established stands of P. cuspidatum at four sites
 in the eastern U.S. Rates of degradation of phenolics, activities of
 enzymes associated with the breakdown of phenolics, and shifts in
 microbial community composition were also measured at the sites. 3. Soils
 under P. cuspidatum stands contained twice as much phenolics as adjacent
 soils, but the composition of phenolics differed greatly between soils
 under stands and senescent tissues of P. cuspidatum. Flavonoids and
 proanthocyanidins constituted &gt;90% of the identified phenolics in
 P. cuspidatum tissues, whereas monophenolic compounds accounted for
 &gt; 90% of the phenolics in soils under stands. Soils under and
 adjacent to stands also exhibited distinctive compositions of relatively
 persistent bulk organic carbon; composition differed less between soils
 under stands at different sites than between soils under and adjacent to
 stands at the same site. 4. Soils under P. cuspidatum had 2.8 times
 greater abundance of fungi than soils adjacent to stands, and fungal
 markers showed clear separation of soils under and adjacent to P.
 cuspidatum. However, the potential activity of enzymes that degrade
 polyphenols was lower in soils under stands. Exogenously applied
 chemically complex polyphenols persisted in both P. cuspidatum invaded and
 adjacent non-invaded soils, whereas less complex compounds rapidly
 disappeared from both soils. 5. Synthesis. Results suggest that
 interactions between plant inputs, abiotic reactions, and biotic
 transformations may create and maintain new states in invaded soils that
 are chemically and biologically less diverse. In the case of polyphenol
 rich, fast growing invasive species, these interactions may alter the
 composition of bulk soil organic matter that has slower turnover rates,
 resulting in legacy effects. Restoration could thus require, not just
 removal of the species, but also post-removal interventions such as soil
 amendments.
description: Total phenolic compounds
 and microbial biomarkersTotal amount of
 phenolics, flavonoids, ergosterol and muramic acid in invaded and
 non-invaded soils. MA- Massachusetts; NY-New York; NC-North Carolina;
 (F)-Forest; (O)-Oldfield; IN- Invaded soil; OU-Non-invaded
 soilJKW_TotalPhenol_20150923.csvLitter phenolicsTotal amount of mono-phenols, flavonoids and tannins that were extracted with water, methanol, and mild base hydrolysis (ester-bound) from senesced tissues of knotweed. MA- Massachusetts; NY-New York; NC-North Carolina; (F)-Forest; (O)-Oldfield; IN- Invaded soil; OU-Non-invaded soilJKW_LitterPhenol_20150923.csvMonophenolicsAmount of mono-phenolic compounds extracted from invaded and non-invaded soils using various extraction methods. MA- Massachusetts; NY-New York; NC-North Carolina; (F)-Forest; (O)-Oldfield; IN- Invaded soil; OU-Non-invaded soilJKW_MonoPhenol_20150923.csvSoil EnzymesApparent activities of various soil enzymes in invaded and non-invaded soils. MA- Massachusetts; NY-New York; NC-North Carolina; (F)-Forest; (O)-Oldfield; IN- Invaded soil; OU-Non-invaded soilJKW_Enzyme_20150923.csvDRIFTDiffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy data after processing (second order dervatization and relative intensity calculations). MA- Massachusetts; NY-New York; NC-North Carolina; (F)-Forest; (O)-Oldfield; IN- Invaded soil; OU-Non-invaded soilJKW_DRIFT_20150923.csvDGGEPresence and absence of bands comprising the fingerprint patterns generated by PCR-DGGE. MA- Massachusetts; NY-New York; NC-North Carolina; (F)-Forest; (O)-Oldfield; IN- Invaded soil;OU-Non-invaded soilJKW_DGGE_20150923.csvDegradation of phenolicsPercent of initially added phenolics recovered at various sampling times. IN- inoculum from invaded soil; OUT- inoculum from non-invaded soil.JKW_PhenolDegradation_20150923.csv