Saltwater intrusion indirectly intensifies Phragmites australis invasion via alteration of soil microbes

Although global change clearly influences species invasion, the exact mechanisms by which global change either intensifies or limits invasive spread remain elusive. Global change can affect invasion directly by altering abiotic conditions, as well as indirectly by altering the abundance and composition of interacting species. Here we examine the relative impacts of direct effects of saltwater intrusion and indirect effects via microbial interactions on the expansion of a model invasive plant species, Phragmites australis, in freshwater marshes of coastal Louisiana. Using a mesocosm experiment, we found that overall salinity strongly increases invasion, but the direction and magnitude of direct and indirect effects were context dependent. Indirect effects of salinity, via alterations in soil microbial composition, increased invasive performance when grown in monoculture and decreased native performance in native-only communities. However, when P. australis and natives were grown together, microbial indirect effects were not important; rather the salinity treatment increased P. australis invasion through reduction of native plant growth. Results suggest that salinity-induced alteration of soil microbes will increase susceptibility of native communities to invasion and promote P. australis monoculture expansion in later stages of invasion; whereas non-microbial effects of salinity are more important in early stages of invasion when P. australis is competing with native species. More broadly, these results underscore the importance of considering microbially-mediated indirect effects of global change in investigating the long-term outcomes of plant species interactions.