DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2fqz612vd
title: Invasional meltdown in plants: The reduction of litter allelochemical promoted positive alien biotic interactions

description: One core focus of ecology is how the differences in community invasion
 resistance are established. An invasional meltdown suggests that the
 establishment of one alien invader might promote further invasions through
 soil microbes. However, whether a similar effect might be mediated by
 plant litter and whether such a situation might depend on environmental
 factors condition is still poorly understood. We
 grew Phytolacca americana as target plants in pot-mesocosms under
 two interaction species origin (alien vs native). In each species origin,
 we produced 36 combinations of two litter treatments, two soil microbe
 treatments, three soil phosphorus levels, and three P. americana density
 treatments. We found that although microbial communities differed
 by species origin, microbial inoculation had no effect on P.
 americana growth. Litter origin did affect plant performance
 as P. americana growth was greater under alien litter
 treatment. This phenomenon may come from the reduction
 in allelochemical (e.g., total phenolics) rather than nutrients,
 and these processes were significantly affected by P.
 americana density but not by soil phosphorus content.
 Synthesis: Our study provides novel insights into the invasion
 process showing that biotic interactions between alien plants may mediate
 the invasional meltdown process through the action of litter. The main
 result highlights the importance of bio-control in areas invaded by
 multiple alien species.
description: # Invasional meltdown in plants: The reduction of litter allelochemical
 promoted positive alien biotic interactions
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2fqz612vd](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2fqz612vd) ## Data/File Structure ##### Meng\_et\_al\_litter\_C\_and\_N.csv This dataset has interaction species litter C and N variables measured in the experiment. One-way ANOVA was used for analysis (can be implemented in spss or R). Sample_ID: Identity number of litter sample used in the test, consisting of species name \_number. origin: The origin of litter used in the experiment, divided into Native and Alien. N_content: The content of nitrogen measured in the experiment, the unit of measurement is mg/g. C_content: The content of carbon measured in the experiment, the unit of measurement is mg/g. C/N_rate: The carbon nitrogen ratio measured in the experiment. ##### Meng\_et\_al\_Litter\_total\_phenolics.csv This dataset has interaction species Litter total phenolics variables measured in the experiment. One-way ANOVA was used for analysis (can be implemented in spss or R). Sample_ID: Identity number of litter sample used in the test, consisting of species name \_number. origin: The origin of litter used in the experiment, divided into Native and Alien. total_phenolics_content: Content of total phenolics content measured the experiment, the unit of measurement is mg/g. ##### Meng\_et\_al\_Fungi\_OTU.csv This dataset has interaction species soil fungal community structure variables measured in the experiment. One-way ANOVA, Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), FUNGuild functional prediction, and PERMANOVA base on Bray-Curtis dissimilarities were used for analysis (can be implemented in R). Identity number of litter sample used in the test, consisting by species name \_number; Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species, OTU represents different taxonomic levels of classification ##### Meng\_et\_al\_Bacteria\_OTU.csv This dataset has interaction species soil bacteria community structure variables measured in the experiment. One-way ANOVA, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), and PERMANOVA base on Bray-Curtis dissimilarities were used for analysis (can be implemented in R). Identity number of litter sample used in the test, consisting by species name \_number; Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species, OTU represents different taxonomic levels of classification ##### Meng\_et\_al\_PA\_Total\_biomass.csv This dataframe has test species *Phytolacca americana* (PA) total biomass variables measured in the experiment. Generalized linear models were used for analysis (can be implemented in spss or R). Pot_ID: Identity number of *Phytolacca americana* plots used in the test, consisting of species name \_number. Microbe_Interaction: Interaction species microbial treatment in plot experiments, divided into With and None. Litter_Interaction: Interaction species litter treatment in plot experiments, divided into With and None. Phosphorus: Phosphorus addition treatment in plot experiment, divided into Low, Medium and High. density: *Phytolacca americana* self density addition treatment in plot experiment, divided into Low, Medium and High. origin: The origin of interaction species used in the experiment, divided into Native and Alien. Interaction_species: The taxonomic name of the interaction species used in the experiment Total_biomass: Content of *Phytolacca americana* total biomass measured the experiment, the unit of measurement is g.