Consequences of aboveground invasion by non-native plants into restored vernal pools do not prompt changes in belowground processes

Given the frequent overlap between biological plant invasion and ecological restoration efforts it is important to investigate their interactions to sustain desirable plant communities and modify long-term legacies both above and belowground. To address this relationship, we used natural reference, invaded, and constructed vernal pools in the Central Valley of California to examine potential changes in direct and indirect plant effects on soils associated with biological invasion and active restoration ecosystem disturbances. Our results showed that through a shift in vegetation composition and changes in the plant community tissue chemistry, invasion by non-native plant species has the potential to transform plant inputs to soils in vernal pool systems. In particular, we found that while non-native litter decomposition was driven by seasonal and interannual variability, associated with changes in precipitation, the overall decomposition for non-native litter was drastically lower than ...