Abstract
Biological invasions impact both agricultural and natural systems. The damage can be quantified in terms of both economic loss and reduction of biodiversity. Although the literature is quite rich about the impact of invasive species on plant and animal communities, their impact on environmental microbiomes is underexplored. Here, we re-analyze publicly available data using a common framework to create a global synthesis of the effects of biological invasions on environmental microbial communities. Our findings suggest that non-native species are responsible for the loss of microbial diversity and shifts in the structure of microbial populations. Therefore, the impact of biological invasions on native ecosystems might be more pervasive than previously thought, influencing both macro- and micro-biomes. We also identified gaps in the literature which encourage research on a wider variety of environments and invaders, and the influence of invaders across seasons and geographical ranges.
Highlights
Biological invasions have severe impacts on biodiversity, community composition and ecosystem functions [1,2,3,4,5]
We show biological invasions decrease the diversity of environmental microbiomes
While several studies have investigated the effects of species invasions on environmental microbiomes, we still lack a generalized consensus across different environmental microbiomes and systems
Summary
Biological invasions have severe impacts on biodiversity, community composition and ecosystem functions [1,2,3,4,5]. Invasive plants can alter many important ecosystem functions including the nitrogen cycle [6], carbon cycle, and decomposition. Invasion by the plant Amur Honeysuckle altered the decomposition rate in the invaded environment likely through changes in litter quality [7]. Exotic snails have been found to alter carbon and nitrogen fluxes in freshwater systems through their consumption/excretion activity [8]. These functions are provided by environmental microbiomes. Despite the implications for ecosystem functioning, we are still learning the consequences of biological invasions on environmental microbiomes
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