DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18tb
title: Interactive effects of rhizospheric soil microbes and litter on the growth of the invasive hyperaccumulator Bidens pilosa in cadmium-contaminated soil

description: Both rhizospheric soil microbes and shoot litter input can have profound
 effects on plant performance; however, their interactive effects on plants
 in Cd-contaminated soils remain poorly understood. We grew an invasive
 hyperaccumulator, Bidens pilosa, in sterilized and unsterilized
 rhizosphere soil without litter or with a low (0.2%, dry weight ratio) or
 a high amount (1%) of litter from B. pilosa in soil with low (5 mg kg-1)
 or high (10 mg kg-1) concentrations of Cd. The total, shoot, and root
 biomass of B. pilosa increased significantly with litter addition, by an
 average of 27%, 28% and 20%, respectively. The biomass of B. pilosa was
 significantly lower in unsterilized rhizosphere soil than in sterilized
 rhizosphere soil, decreasing by 19% for total, 18% for shoot and 24% for
 root, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of different litter amounts
 (0.2% vs. 1%) on biomass did not vary in sterilized rhizosphere soils, but
 significantly varied in unsterilized rhizosphere soils, showing that the
 biomass was significantly lower with 1% litter addition than with 0.2%
 litter addition in unsterilized rhizosphere soils, decreasing by 28% for
 total, 29% for shoot and 21% for root, respectively. Tissue Cd
 concentrations were significantly higher in highly Cd-contaminated soils
 (+75% for shoot and +51% for root) than in low Cd-contaminated soils;
 however, higher tissue Cd concentrations did not cause a significant
 decrease in the biomass of B. pilosa. Soil fungal communities,
 particularly the dominant phyla, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, play
 crucial roles in modulating the effects of rhizosphere soil microbes and
 litter on the growth of B. pilosa. Our results suggest that rhizosphere
 soil microbes and litter interact and affect the growth of B. pilosa:
 litter addition promoted growth by increasing the abundance of saprotrophs
 (especially Basidiomycota) and decreasing Cd accumulation in plant
 tissues, and rhizosphere soil inhibition was associated with a decreased
 abundance of Basidiomycota. Our findings highlight the importance of the
 interactive effects of rhizospheric soil microbes and litter on plant
 growth in Cd-contaminated soils.
description: # Interactive effects of rhizospheric soil microbes and litter on the
 growth of the invasive hyperaccumulator Bidens pilosa in
 cadmium-contaminated soil
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18tb](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18tb) ## Description of the data and file structure ### Files and variables #### File: XWang\_data.csv **Description:**  ##### Variables * Litter: the application of litter (0, 0.2 and 1%) * Rhizosphere soil: rhizosphere soil (unsterilized and sterilized) * Cd: (5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg) * Shoot_mass: the shoot mass of Bidens pilosa (g) * Root_mass: the root mass of Bidens pilosa (g) * Total_mass: the total mass of Bidens pilosa (g) * Soil_N: total soil N (%) * Soil_Cd: total soil Cd (mg/kg) * Shoot_Cd: the Cd concentration in shoots of Bidens pilosa (mg/kg) * Root_Cd: the Cd concentration in roots of Bidens pilosa (mg/kg) * Ascomycota: the relative abundance of phylum Ascomycota (%) * Basidiomycota: the relative abundance of phylum Basidiomycota (%)