<b>Seed-borne microbiome relaxes the competition–colonization trade-off in an invasive plant</b>

However, the mechanisms underlying this pattern remain poorly understood. Here, we test whether the seed-borne endomicrobiome modulates the competition–colonization trade-off in the globally invasive dandelion (<i>Taraxacum officinale</i>).

Using plants with intact (E⁺) versus experimentally reduced endomicrobiome (E⁻), we quantified traits and gene-expression associated with colonization and competitive ability. Individuals with an intact endomicrobiome shifted toward simultaneously higher colonization and competition performance, whereas plants with reduced microbial communities retained the expected trade-off structure. This relaxation was statistically confirmed at the phenotypic level.