Biochar produced from diverse invasive species improves remediation of cadmium-contaminated soils

Biodiversity commonly contributes to ecosystem functioning and provides ecosystem services. Biochar application is frequently used to remediate soils contaminated with heavy metals. As many invasive plant species can quickly form huge amounts of biomass, they are potentially useful for producing biochar for remediating contaminated soils. However, it remains untested whether invasive species richness contributes to biochar-mediated soil remediation. We applied single biochar made from each of six invasive plant species and biochar mixtures (i.e., mixtures of biochar derived from 2, 3, and 6 invasive plant species) to soils contaminated with cadmium (Cd), with no biochar application as the control. We then grew native plant communities on these soils. Compared to the control, biochar application significantly decreased Cd bioavailability (− 34