Medusahead and soil microbial communities

Understanding plant-microbe relationships is important for developing reliable control strategies for invasive plants. In a field study located in California, USA, we investigated how soil microbial communities differ across the invasion front of Taeniatherum caput-medusae (medusahead), an annual grass that has rapidly invaded most of the western USA. Plots were installed in areas where medusahead invasion is successful (open grassland habitat) and not successful (oak woodland habitat). Medusahead was seeded into plots at a range of densities (from 0-50,000 seeds/m2) to simulate different levels of invasion. Bulk soil was sampled from each plot two years after medusahead seeds were sewn.