Study species
Taraxacum officinale is an Asteraceae species originally from Europe but now widely distributed worldwide and considered a serious invasive species (Holm et al. 1997). In Chile, it has been able to establish populations along the entire south-north latitudinal range as well as west-east altitudinal gradients (Molina-Montenegro et al. 2012b, 2014), suggesting a wide climatic tolerance and/or great capacity to cope with novel conditions (Molina-Montenegro and Naya 2012, Molina-Montenegro et al. 2015, 2018). Although studies have been conducted to assess the role of its intrinsic high environmental tolerance, its competitive ability relative to local plants, and positive interactions with other plants as drivers of the invasive ability of T. officinale (Cavieres et al. 2005, Muñoz and Cavieres 2008, Molina-Montenegro et al. 2012b, 2014), how its performance in the new environments is modulated by the soil microbiome remains unexplored.