Soil Microbial Community Dynamics Associated with Garlic Mustard Invasions

大蒜芥（Alliaria petiolata）是温带森林的一种侵略性入侵植物，是美国北方大部分地区森林健康的最大威胁。 大蒜芥末在其组织内产生化学物质，这些化学物质对通常会消耗森林植物的昆虫有毒。 这种植物也被发现对土壤细菌和真菌有毒，这些细菌和真菌通常负责为其他植物提供养分。 这项研究的目的是研究一个特别积极的大蒜芥末虫害位于沙岭国家森林（IL）的松树种植园。目的是确定大蒜芥末对土壤生物的变化，以及土壤养分对其他植物的可用性。 如果大蒜芥导致森林土壤养分供应减少，森林生产力可能会下降，这反过来又会改变可收获的生物量和森林中可以储存的碳量。 研究人员将调查土壤化学和微生物群落的变化，以应对大蒜芥末入侵一系列森林地点，使用实验室和实地研究相结合，包括：实验地点操作（例如，添加大蒜、芥末或氮）;一般土壤化学（pH值、C、N、阳离子、P）和微生物（生物量、多样性、酶活性）的现场和试验地块特性。 这些分析应提供信息，大蒜芥末是否改变森林健康，并建议将发生的变化，因为这种入侵植物进入新的地区。由于大蒜芥末目前正以高速度入侵森林，导致北美森林养分供应减少的虫害可能会对森林健康造成严重的长期后果。 该项目的长期目标将是评估大蒜芥在广泛的森林土壤中的影响，并提高我们对大蒜芥入侵并随后在这些森林中作为生态变化因子的机制的理解。迄今为止，该项目的所有研究都是一项合作努力，涉及布拉德利大学本科生在学年期间，扩大到包括当地社区大学生，当地高中生和K-12教育工作者在夏季，包括大量妇女和科学代表性不足的群体的成员。 通过这笔赠款获得的资金将支持这些团体之间的持续合作。

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an aggressive invasive plant of temperate forests, and constitutes the single greatest threat to forest health throughout much of the northern US. Garlic mustard produces chemicals within its tissues that are toxic to insects that would normally consume forest plants. This plant has also been found to be toxic to soil bacteria and fungi normally responsible for making nutrients available to other plants. The goal of the study is to examine a particularly aggressive garlic mustard infestation in pine plantations located in Sand Ridge State Forest (IL). The objectives are to identify changes that garlic mustard makes to soil organisms, as well as soil nutrient availability to other plants. Should garlic mustard result in decreases in soil nutrient availability in forest soils, forest productivity could decrease, which would in turn alter harvestable biomass and the amount of carbon that could be stored in forests. The researchers will investigate changes in soil chemistry and microbial communities in response to garlic mustard invasion across a range of forest sites using a combination of lab and field studies including: experimental site manipulations (e.g., additions of garlic mustard or nitrogen); site and experimental plot characterization of general soil chemistry (pH, C, N, cations, P) and microorganisms (biomass, diversity, enzyme activities). These analyses should provide information as to whether garlic mustard alters forest health and suggest changes that will occur to stands as this invasive plant moves into new areas. As garlic mustard is currently invading forests at high rates, infestations that result in reduced nutrient availability in North American forests can lead to serious long-term consequences for forest health. The long-term goal of this project will be to evaluate the impacts of garlic mustard across a broad range of forest soils, and to improve our understanding of the mechanisms by which garlic mustard invades and subsequently acts as an ecological change agent in these forests. All research on this project to date has been a collaborative effort involving Bradley University undergraduate students during the academic year, expanding to include local community college students, local high school students and K-12 educators during the summer, including large numbers of women and members of underrepresented groups in science. Funds acquired through this grant will support continued collaborations among these groups.