Invasive Plant Species and Diversity below Ground

Dear Colleagues,

Biological invasions are expected to increase over the next century, threatening further negative impacts of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Most research has concentrated on the effects of invasive plant species on plants and aboveground animals. By comparison, relatively few studies have focused on the effects of invasive plant species on life belowground. Soil, a highly complex matrix, contains a huge variety of organisms, from microorganisms to small vertebrates. Biodiversity belowground plays a fundamental role in, for example, the regulation of the quantity and quality of food production or the ability of soils to hold and clean water, all of which are crucial for human health. Declines in soil biodiversity may directly impede ecosystem properties, such as aboveground plant diversity, nutrient retention, or nutrient cycling. Given the central role of soil organisms in ecosystem functioning, and despite recent meta-analyses, the comparatively low number of studies focusing on belowground diversity responses to invasive plant represents a major knowledge gap in the field of biological invasion. 

This Special Issue aims to provide new insights on this topic by collating the latest research on biological invasion and diversity belowground. Submissions on the following subjects will be particularly encouraged:

• Mechanistic approach of response of soil biota to invasive plant species;
• The role and effects of invasive plant traits in determining the consequences for belowground organisms, ecosystem functioning, and plant–soil feedbacks;
• Identifying the potential influence of climate change, or other drivers (e.g., pollution, disturbance) in shaping the response of soil biota to invasive plant species;
• Revealing uncoupling of taxonomic and functional diversities (e.g., trait-based approach) between above- and belowground compartments following invasion. 

Prof. Dr. Matthieu Chauvat
Dr. Estelle Forey
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Invasive plant species
• Biological invasion
• Soil biota
• Diversity
• Above–belowground linkages