Wavyleaf basketgrass (Oplismenus undulatifolius) invasion is associated with changes in soil microbial communities

Authors: Fulcher, Michael; TRITZ, ANTHONY - Towson University; BEAUCHAMP, VANESSA - Towson University; WU, CARRIE - University Of Richmond

Submitted to: mSphere
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/9/2026
Publication Date: 4/29/2026
Citation: Fulcher, M.R., Tritz, A., Beauchamp, V., Wu, C.A. 2026. Wavyleaf basketgrass (Oplismenus undulatifolius) invasion is associated with changes in soil microbial communities. mSphere. 11:e00895-25. https://doi.org/10.1128/msphere.00895-25.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/msphere.00895-25

Interpretive Summary: Invasive weeds can carry harmful microbes that damage agriculture and natural ecosystems. Studying these microbes is essential to predict long-term invasion impacts and create effective management plans. ARS scientists worked with researchers in Maryland and Virginia to study how invasive wavyleaf basketgrass influences soil microbes. The invasion has caused major changes in fungal and bacterial communities, which may limit soil functions. Several fungi played a major role in these changes and will be tested for use in combatting weed invasions. This research guides basketgrass management decisions and prepares weed control specialists for future invasions. The results benefit foresters and natural resource managers in the Mid-Atlantic struggling to contain the spread of wavyleaf basketgrass.

Technical Abstract: Introduced invasive plants can alter the composition of resident soil microbial communities, which may disrupt ecosystem function and facilitate continued invasion success. Wavyleaf basketgrass (Oplismenus undulatifolius) is a high-risk, non-native invasive plant currently centered in the Mid-Atlantic United States but with the potential to colonize forest understory across the eastern United States. In this study, we characterized soil microbial communities from locations spanning the invaded range using amplicon sequencing to understand the impacts of wavyleaf basketgrass establishment on resident soil microbiomes. We compared the diversity and structure of microbial communities from invaded and uninvaded forest soils, as well from wavyleaf basketgrass rhizospheres. Invasion by wavyleaf basketgrass was associated with an increase in microbial diversity within sampling locations but a decrease in microbial diversity across sampling locations. Patterns of community structure observed in wavyleaf basketgrass rhizospheres were also reflected in bulk invaded soil, and changes in the relative abundance of specific sequence variants indicated a small number of resident microbes may be favored in the presence of wavyleaf basketgrass roots. Finally, fungal alpha diversity was correlated with soil chemistry variables in uninvaded plots but not in invaded plots, and increased plant groundcover attributed to wavyleaf basketgrass invasion was positively correlated with fungal diversity. Together these patterns suggest that wavyleaf basketgrass recruits diverse microbial associates from the environment, homogenizes soil microbiomes across invaded locations, and potentially buffers these communities against environmental selection pressures exerted by soil chemistry profiles. Ongoing expansion of the species’ invaded range may produce similar impacts in new environments.