DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bk3j9kdk2
title: Data from: Effects of grass functional diversity on invasion success by exotic grasses in Cerrado grasslands

description: Invasive species pose significant challenges to successful restoration
 efforts worldwide. A strategy to reduce invasions is to establish
 communities consisting of species with varied ecological strategies. These
 strategies typically align along the conservative and plant size axes, and
 more recently, along a belowground collaboration axis. However, we lack
 understanding of how the diverse ecological strategies of Cerrado grass
 species, their combinations, and their interactions with soil conditions
 can mitigate invasions. Here, we investigated how native grass communities
 composed of species with different ecological strategies affect the
 invasion success in two soil types of abandoned pastures in the Cerrado.
 Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that greater above- and belowground
 functional diversity reduces exotic species invasion. We also evaluated
 whether the isolated effects of native species on invasion were positive
 or negative. We installed an experiment with species richness ranging from
 zero to eight native grass species. In November 2019, we sowed species
 combinations to create communities composed by species with different
 ecological strategies. We quantified the aboveground biomass of exotic
 species as a measure of invasion. To characterize the species'
 ecological strategies, we measured five functional traits. Functional
 diversity of maximum height and specific root length (SRL) had the highest
 predictive power, however, the most parsimonious model included only SRL
 diversity, which represents the collaboration axis. Native aboveground
 biomass was also negatively related to exotic species biomass.
 Furthermore, invasion was greater in less stressful soil conditions but
 did not interact with diversity. The effect of native species varied from
 facilitation to competition, with the annual fast-growing native species
 favouring invasion. Synthesis and applications. Our results show that
 greater functional diversity of combined above- and belowground traits
 reduces invasion success, shedding light on an underexplored role of SRL
 diversity. The competitive and facilitative effects of different native
 species highlight the need for careful selection of the species to be used
 in restoration programs. Furthermore, the absence of interaction between
 diversity and soil types highlights the need for an integrated management
 of the functional composition and edaphic factors to increase resistance
 to invasion in these Neotropical grass communities.
description: In November 2019, a biodiversity experiment was established,
 sowing 302 plots with different species richness levels and dominance,
 utilizing eight native Cerrado grass species. Following two growth
 seasons, in October 2021, aboveground biomass of exotic grasses was
 harvested from 4m<sup>2</sup> plots, while that of native
 species was collected from two 12.5 x 25 cm subplots within these larger
 plots. The biomass samples were then oven-dried at approximately 60°C to a
 consistent weight and subsequently weighed. Soil types for each plot were
 determined by visual assessment, categorized as rocky or clayey based on
 the presence of laterites. In February 2022, five functional traits of the
 native species were measured: leaf mass per area (LMA), maximum vegetative
 height (H), root tissue density (RTD), specific root length (SRL), and
 total root length (TRL). These measurements were taken from six isolated
 individuals per species near the experiment. Leaf samples for LMA were
 hydrated for 24 hours, scanned for area estimation using ImageJ software,
 and then dried and weighed. Maximum vegetative height was measured from
 five adult individuals in native areas. The root system was assessed by
 washing soil monoliths and analyzing root segments stained with methylene
 blue. Root length and volume were quantified using RhizoVision Explorer,
 and total root length was derived by multiplying specific root length by
 total root mass. Rao’s quadratic entropy (FDQ) was calculated for each
 plot as an index of functional diversity, producing 31 distinct FDQ values
 representing various trait combinations.
description: # Effects of grass functional diversity on invasion success by exotic
 grasses in Cerrado grasslands
 ## Abstract Invasive
 species pose significant challenges to successful restoration efforts
 worldwide. A strategy to reduce invasions is to establish communities
 consisting of species with varied ecological strategies. These strategies
 typically align along the conservative and plant size axes, and more
 recently, along a belowground collaboration axis. However, we lack
 understanding of how the diverse ecological strategies of Cerrado grass
 species, their combinations, and their interactions with soil conditions
 can mitigate invasions. Here, we investigated how native grass communities
 composed by species with different ecological strategies affect the
 invasion success in two soil types of abandoned pastures in the Cerrado.
 Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that greater above- and belowground
 functional diversity reduces exotic species invasion. We also evaluated
 whether the isolated effects of native species on invasion was positive or
 negative. We installed an experiment with species richness ranging from
 zero to eight native grass species. In November 2019, we sowed species
 combinations to create communities composed by species with different
 ecological strategies. We quantified the aboveground biomass of exotic
 species as a measure of invasion. To characterize the species ecological
 strategies, we measured five functional traits.Functional diversity of
 maximum height and specific root length (SRL) had the highest predictive
 power, however, the most parsimonious model included only SRL diversity,
 which represents the collaboration axis. Native aboveground biomass was
 also negatively related to exotic species biomass. Furthermore, invasion
 was greater in less stressful soil conditions but did not interact with
 diversity. The effect of native species varied from facilitation to
 competition, with the annual fast-growing native species favouring
 invasion. *Synthesis and applications*. Our results show that greater
 functional diversity of combined above- and belowground traits reduces
 invasion success, shedding light on an underexplored role of SRL
 diversity. The competitive and facilitative effects of different native
 species highlight the need for careful selection of the species to be used
 in restoration programs. Furthermore, the absence of interaction between
 diversity and soil types highlights the need for an integrated management
 of the functional composition and edaphic factors to increase resistance
 to invasion in these Neotropical grass communities. ## Usage notes This
 data package includes the data needed to reproduce the analyses of the
 following paper: Guilherme G. Mazzochini, Demétrius Lira-Martins, Fernanda
 V. de Barros, Ana C. C. Oliveira, Rafael O. Xavier, Mariana N. Furtado,
 Larissa S. Verona, Ricardo A. G. Viani, Lucy Rowland and Rafael S.
 Oliveira. Effects of grass functional diversity on invasion success by
 exotic grasses in Cerrado grasslands. In addition to the dataset
 (**bef_experiment_CVNP.csv**), this package includes a document detailing
 the meanings and units of measurement for each column in the data frame
 (**Metadata_bef_experiment_CVNP.docx**)