Quantifying a multitrophic community response to multispecies invasion in a Dry Forest ecosystem

Ongoing plant invasions have altered the local biodiversity of forests, but the compound impacts of invasion on these ecosystems remain poorly understood. This research examined the responses of forest plant and soil bacterial and fungal communities to multispecies invasion. Rare and common species, and natives and aliens, responded differently to environmental conditions, as did common bacteria and fungi, highlighting the complexity of responses to invasion. The level of plant invasion altered the taxonomic and functional bacterial community composition as predicted by species trait-based theory. This work demonstrates the value of a unified approach to advancing higher taxon and microbial community ecology.