Abstract: Plant invasion results in biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and the impairment of ecological service functions. The volatile secondary metabolites released by invasive plants may affect plant invasion. We review the current research status of how volatile substances released by invasive plants affect neighboring plants, animals, and microorganisms in both aboveground and underground ecosystems. Studies have shown that volatile substances from invasive plants can inhibit seed germination and seedling growth of neighboring plants through air diffusion or soil transmission. Furthermore, they can regulate the behavior of native insects, for instance, by repelling herbivorous insects and attracting pollinators, to gain a competitive advantage over native plants. In addition, invasive plants may enrich local pathogenic microorganisms or recruit beneficial microorganisms via their volatiles, thereby interfering with the growth of native plants. As integrated organic entities, there is an inherent connection between the aboveground and underground volatiles of plants. Exploring the links between aboveground and underground volatiles of invasive plants in terms of their synthesis, release, and ecological functions is conducive to systematically revealing the ecological functions and evolution of plant volatiles, as well as deeply clarifying the mechanisms of plant invasion mediated by volatiles.

Key words: plant volatile, invasive plant, animal, microbe, neighboring plant, biological interaction, ecological function