Mycorrhizal strategy of non-native plants varies with biome and disturbance

Predicting which non-native plant species will become established and where is critical for conserving and managing biodiversity. Theory suggests that the mycorrhizal strategy of non-native plants may predict their establishment success. Here we combine a global dataset of 440,788 vegetation plots with data on plant native status and mycorrhizal type to assess mycorrhizal strategy of non-native plants. The mycorrhizal strategy of non-native plants varies strongly across biomes. Across grassland and desert biomes, non-native species are more frequently non-mycorrhizal than native species, whereas in other biomes non-native species are more likely to be mycorrhizal, most commonly arbuscular-mycorrhizal. Disturbance type and intensity are key predictors of mycorrhizal strategy of non-native species, as mycorrhizal species are favoured by landscape modification and non-mycorrhizal species by natural and human-caused disturbance events. Facultatively mycorrhizal species are consistently under-represented among non-native plants compared with natives, suggesting that symbiotic flexibility does not confer an advantage for non-natives as previously expected. Our study shows that non-native mycorrhizal strategy varies across biogeographical contexts and disturbance, highlighting the need for region-specific prevention and management approaches to plant species introductions.

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Journal
Nature Ecology & Evolution
Published
2026-08-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03144-9
Primary Topic
Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
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article
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article

Mycorrhizal strategy of non-native plants varies with biome and disturbance

Borja Jiménez‐Alfaro, Marten Winter, Tetiana Dziuba, Adam R. Martin et al.
Nature Ecology & Evolution
Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
article

Mycorrhizal strategy of non-native plants varies with biome and disturbance

Borja Jiménez‐Alfaro, Marten Winter, Tetiana Dziuba, Adam R. Martin, Franz Essl, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen, Flávio Rogério de Oliveira Rodrigues, Dinesh Thakur, Julie Messier, Domas Uogintas, Jan Altman, Behlül Güler, Manuel J. Macía, David Schellenberger Costa, Christian Rossi, Jesper Erenskjold Moeslund, Fernando Gonçalves, Evert Thomas, Avishkar Munje, Angela T. Moles, Sharif A. Mukul, Angela Stanisci, Daniel C. Laughlin, Ana González‐Robles, Gianmaria Bonari, Evan Weiher, Tomas F. Domingues, Veronika Fontana, Marco Varricchione, Bruno Hérault, Francesco María Sabatini, Vigdis Vandvik, Álvaro G. Gutiérrez, Анна Куземко, Oliver Lawrence Phillips, Jane A. Catford, Koenraad Van Meerbeek, Wilm Daniel Kissling, Grzegorz Swacha, Mohamed Z. Hatim, Antonio J. Perea, Mohamed A. El‐Sheikh, Anke Jentsch, Sylvain Schmitt, Rubén Tarifa, Peter B. Reich, Sylvia Haider, Evelyn M. Beaury, Neha Mohanbabu, Jacob Willie, Frank M. Schurr, James D. Bever, Vasco Silva, Iwona Dembicz, Zvjezdana Stančić, Remigiusz Pielech, Jürgen Dengler, Riccardo Testolin, Alexander Novakovskiy, Kate H. Orwin, Johan van den Hoogen, Milan Chytrý, Gabriella Damasceno, Bruno X. Pinho, Akira S. Mori, Eduardo Chacón‐Madrigal, Anikó Csecserits, T. Bruce Lauber, André Luís de Gasper, Kirill Korznikov, Sara Giulia Cazzaniga, Marko J. Spasojevic, Ricard Arasa‐Gisbert, Jonathan Lenoir, Isabelle Aubin, Marco Schmidt, Shyam S. Phartyal, Riccardo Guarino, Idoia Biurrun, Jiří Doležal, Daniel Hending, Nathan J. B. Kraft, Udayangani Liu, Jürgen Homeier, Helge Bruelheide, Jens‐Christian Svenning, Jeremy W. Lichstein, Georg Zizka, C. Guillermo Bueno, Han Y. H. Chen, Huifang Wang, Golub, Valentin,, Chris Baraloto, Esteban Alvarez-Davila, Marcos Bergmann Carlucci, Dave Rogers, Melisa A. Giorgis, Henry Ford, Ashish Nerlekar, John Hunter
article en

Abstract

Predicting which non-native plant species will become established and where is critical for conserving and managing biodiversity. Theory suggests that the mycorrhizal strategy of non-native plants may predict their establishment success. Here we combine a global dataset of 440,788 vegetation plots with data on plant native status and mycorrhizal type to assess mycorrhizal strategy of non-native plants. The mycorrhizal strategy of non-native plants varies strongly across biomes. Across grassland and desert biomes, non-native species are more frequently non-mycorrhizal than native species, whereas in other biomes non-native species are more likely to be mycorrhizal, most commonly arbuscular-mycorrhizal. Disturbance type and intensity are key predictors of mycorrhizal strategy of non-native species, as mycorrhizal species are favoured by landscape modification and non-mycorrhizal species by natural and human-caused disturbance events. Facultatively mycorrhizal species are consistently under-represented among non-native plants compared with natives, suggesting that symbiotic flexibility does not confer an advantage for non-natives as previously expected. Our study shows that non-native mycorrhizal strategy varies across biogeographical contexts and disturbance, highlighting the need for region-specific prevention and management approaches to plant species introductions.

Nature Ecology & Evolution
University of Siena (IT), University of California, Riverside (US), University of Hohenheim (DE), Leuphana University of Lüneburg (DE), Goethe University Frankfurt (DE), Western Digital (Japan) (JP), Australian National University (AU), University of Bern (CH), Inner Mongolia Agricultural University (CN), Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala (MX), University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (US), Jagiellonian University (PL), Canadian Forest Service (CA), Natural Resources Canada (CA), University of Wyoming (US), Organization for Tropical Studies (CR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Molise (IT), University of Vienna (AT), University of Minnesota (US), University of Leeds (GB), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (FR), International Potato Center (PE), Eurac Research (IT), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (US), Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (BR), University of Kansas (US), National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (UA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (AR), University of Waterloo (CA), University of California, Los Angeles (US), Universidad de Oviedo (ES), University of the Basque Country (ES), Syktyvkar State University (RU), University of the Sunshine Coast (AU), Universidade de São Paulo (BR), University of Zagreb (HR), University of Wisconsin–Parkside (US), King's College London (GB), Lincoln University (NZ), University of Toronto (CA), Universidad de Jaén (ES), Dokuz Eylül University (TR), Florida International University (US), ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences (CH), Aarhus University (DK), Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZ), Hainan University (CN), Masaryk University (CZ), University of Wrocław (PL), Symbiosis International University (IN), University of Michigan (US), Scarborough Health Network (CA), German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (DE), Swiss National Park (CH), New York Botanical Garden (US), King Saud University (SA), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (BR), University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (CZ), Togliatti State University (RU), Escola Superior de Saúde Egas Moniz (PT), UNSW Sydney (AU), Universidad de Costa Rica (CR), University of Florida (US), ETH Zurich (CH), University of Oxford (GB), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen (DE), Institute of Ecology and Botany (HU), Fundación Con Vida (CO), Biodiversity Research Institute (US), Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp (BE), Estacion Experimental de Zonas Aridas (ES), Universidade Regional de Blumenau (BR), Institute of Forestry (RS), Wrocław Zoo (PL), Institute for Sustainable Development (SI), Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (FR), SystemsX.ch (CH), Forests and Societies (FR), Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany (CZ), Nature Research Centre (LT), HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research (HU), National Research Council (LK), Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (ES), M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany (UA), Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (AR), Environmental Earth Sciences (AU), University of Bergen (NO), University of Warsaw (PL), Universidade Federal do Paraná (BR), University of Bayreuth (DE), United International University (BD), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (DE), University of Chile (CL), Lakehead University (CA), The University of Tokyo (JP), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL), Michigan State University (US), Savitribai Phule Pune University (IN), University of Amsterdam (NL), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), University of Palermo (IT), University of New England (AU), Bath Spa University (GB), Wageningen University & Research (NL), Leipzig University (DE), University of Bologna (IT), KU Leuven (BE)
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Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
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