Forest Sciences Commons^™

Virulence Of Oomycete Pathogens From Phragmites Australis-Invaded And Noninvaded Soils To Seedlings Of Wetland Plant Species, Ellen V. Crocker, Mary Ann Karp, Eric B. Nelson

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Soil pathogens affect plant community structure and function through negative plant-soil feedbacks that may contribute to the invasiveness of non-native plant species. Our understanding of these pathogen-induced soil feedbacks has relied largely on observations of the collective impact of the soil biota on plant populations, with few observations of accompanying changes in populations of specific soil pathogens and their impacts on invasive and noninvasive species. As a result, the roles of specific soil pathogens in plant invasions remain unknown. In this study, we examine the diversity and virulence of soil oomycete pathogens in freshwater wetland soils invaded by non-native Phragmites …