Effects of Ageratina adenophora invasion on soil multifunctionality and microbial networks of Pinus yunnanensis forest in the Panxi region, China
- 1College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University
- 2State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral, Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University
- 3Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation, China West Normal University (Ministry of Education)
Abstract
The Panxi region of southwestern China, an important ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, is severely invaded by Ageratina adenophora , yet the effects of this invasion for soil functioning remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we selected Pinus yunnanensis forest plots with slight or heavy A. adenophora invasion, to investigate the effects of invasion on soil multifunctionality and microbial networks. Additionally, we selected heavily invaded plots co-occurring with the nitrogen-fixing tree Alnus cremastogyne to investigate whether co-occurrence with nitrogen-fixing tree mitigates the negative effects of invasion on soil multifunctionality. The results of this study are as follows. First, heavy invasion by A. adenophora significantly reduced soil multifunctionality, and although microbial network stability increased, this functional decline was associated with the modular and functionally constrained architecture of the networks. Second, the coexistence of nitrogen-fixing tree A. cremastogyne significantly mitigated the invasion-related loss of soil multifunctionality. This mitigating effect was underpinned by increased microbial network complexity and connectivity. Third, random forest analyses identified microbial network complexity as the most important biotic predictor of soil multifunctionality, whereas its network complexity was strongly associated with soil nutrient availability and microbial cohesion. Overall, our findings suggest that microbial network complexity may play a more critical role than diversity or stability in maintaining soil multifunctionality following plant invasion. Our study provides critical empirical evidence for managing invasion pressure and preserving soil health in this ecologically vital region.
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BibTeX
@article{wei2026effects,
title = {{Effects of Ageratina adenophora invasion on soil multifunctionality and microbial networks of Pinus yunnanensis forest in the Panxi region, China}},
author = {Qing Wei and Cheng-Gang Qiu and Jiao Tian and Jin-Rui Yang and Luo-Bing Zhou and Ting-Rui Yan and Han-Jun Yang and Yan-Jie Wang and Yun Wu and Ya-Nan Wang and Yong-Mei Liao and Jin-Song Chen},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1923914},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1923914/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of Ageratina adenophora invasion on soil multifunctionality and microbial networks of Pinus yunnanensis forest in the Panxi region, China
AU - Qing Wei
AU - Cheng-Gang Qiu
AU - Jiao Tian
AU - Jin-Rui Yang
AU - Luo-Bing Zhou
AU - Ting-Rui Yan
AU - Han-Jun Yang
AU - Yan-Jie Wang
AU - Yun Wu
AU - Ya-Nan Wang
AU - Yong-Mei Liao
AU - Jin-Song Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1923914
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1923914/full
AB - The Panxi region of southwestern China, an important ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, is severely invaded by Ageratina adenophora , yet the effects of this invasion for soil functioning remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we selected Pinus yunnanensis forest plots with slight or heavy A. adenophora invasion, to investigate the effects of invasion on soil multifunctionality and microbial networks. Additionally, we selected heavily invaded plots co-occurring with the nitrogen-fixing tree Alnus cremastogyne to investigate whether co-occurrence with nitrogen-fixing tree mitigates the negative effects of invasion on soil multifunctionality. The results of this study are as follows. First, heavy invasion by A. adenophora significantly reduced soil multifunctionality, and although microbial network stability increased, this functional decline was associated with the modular and functionally constrained architecture of the networks. Second, the coexistence of nitrogen-fixing tree A. cremastogyne significantly mitigated the invasion-related loss of soil multifunctionality. This mitigating effect was underpinned by increased microbial network complexity and connectivity. Third, random forest analyses identified microbial network complexity as the most important biotic predictor of soil multifunctionality, whereas its network complexity was strongly associated with soil nutrient availability and microbial cohesion. Overall, our findings suggest that microbial network complexity may play a more critical role than diversity or stability in maintaining soil multifunctionality following plant invasion. Our study provides critical empirical evidence for managing invasion pressure and preserving soil health in this ecologically vital region.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -