AUTHOR=Dai Zhi-Cong , Fu Wei , Wan Ling-Yun , Cai Hong-Hong , Wang Ning , Qi Shan-Shan , Du Dao-Lin 

TITLE=Different Growth Promoting Effects of Endophytic Bacteria on Invasive and Native Clonal Plants

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2016.00706

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2016.00706

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>The role of the interactions between endophytes and alien plants has been unclear yet in plant invasion. We used a completely germ-free culture system to quantify the plant growth-promoting (PGP) effects of endophytic bacteria <italic>Bacillus</italic> sp. on aseptic seedlings of <italic>Wedelia trilobata</italic> and of its native clonal congener <italic>W. chinensis</italic>. The endophytic bacteria did not affect the growth of <italic>W. chinensis</italic>, but they significantly promoted the growth of <italic>W. trilobata</italic>. With the PGP effects of endophytic bacteria, relative change ratios of the clonal traits and the ramets’ growth traits of <italic>W. trilobata</italic> were significantly greater than those of <italic>W. chinensis</italic>. Our results indicate that the growth-promoting effects of endophytes may differ between invasive and native clonal plants, and the endophytes of invasive plant may be host-specific to facilitate plant invasion.</p>