Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** grasslands harbor high biodiversity…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** grasslands harbor high biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services, but nonnative plant invasion and climate change increasingly threaten their ecological integrity, above- and belowground. In california, invasive annual grasses have displaced native perennial bunchgrasses, resulting in altered soil microbial communities, increased soil nitrogen, and reduced carbon storage. These soil changes promote the competitive dominance of invasives over natives. Furthermore, the loss of mutualistic soil biota could reduce the stress tolerance of natives dependent on these symbioses. Therefore, soil legacies of invasive grasses pose a strong barrier to the restoration and persistence of native grasslands, particularly under climate change.i propose a novel solution for combatting these soil legacies and enhancing grassland restoration: reconditioning soils with native summer annuals, an often-overlooked guild of plant species that persist in highly invaded grasslands and survive under hot and dry conditions. Preliminary data suggest these unique species may suppress invasives and facilitate native bunchgrasses through indirect belowground effects. I will evaluate if we can harness these plant-soil feedbacks for climate-smart restoration by: (1) assessing the impacts of invasive and native plant species on soil biology and physiochemistry, and (2) testing the effects of reconditioned soils on growth and stress tolerance of native bunchgrasses. This work will aid the USDA in its mission to mitigate impacts of climate change and ensure the long-term sustainability of agroecosystems. This project will also help train the next generation of scientists and practitioners by supporting student researchers and incorporating research activities into a new restoration ecology course at csudh.