The invasive tree staghorn sumac affects soil N 2 -fixing bacterial communities in North China.

Soil N2 -fixing bacterial communities (SNB) can enhance soil N availability and the invasiveness of invaders. Some invaders can display different invasion degrees across different climatic regions. Given that bacterial communities may change with different climatic regions, it is important to understand the soil micro-ecological mechanisms driving the successful invasion of invaders across different climatic regions. This study performed cross-site comparisons to comprehensively analyze the effects of invasive tree staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina L.) on the structure of SNB. In North China, we selected three sites within two sampling regions (a warm temperate region and a cold temperate region). Staghorn sumac invasion did not significantly affect soil physicochemical properties and the diversity and richness of SNB. LEfSe analysis showed that numerous SNB taxa changed significantly under staghorn sumac invasion. This may be attributed in part to the selective effects of allelochemicals released by staghorn sumac via leaf litters and/or root exudates. Consequently, staghorn sumac invasion may alter the structure, rather than the diversity and richness of SNB, to facilitate its invasion process via establish a favorable soil micro-environment in the invaded habitats. The number of species and richness of SNB under staghorn sumac invasion were significantly lower in the warm temperate region than in the cold temperate region. The possible reason for the greater diversity and richness of SNB under staghorn sumac invasion in the cold temperate region may be due to the fact that staghorn sumac in the cold temperate region can provide more nutritious into the soil sub-ecosystem presumably to support a higher degree of diversity and richness of SNB via the nutritional requirements of SNB. The changed structure of SNB under staghorn sumac invasion especially cross different climatic regions may play an important role in its successful invasion across most regions of North China. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.