【Background】Soil biota can have great impacts on the invasive success of exotic plants. An insight into the net effects of soil biota in its native range on seedling performance of native and invasive provenance of Triadica sebifera (Euphorbiales: Euphorbiaceae) would help to understand this plant species. 【Method】In a controlled greenhouse experiment in Nanjing Agricultural University, multiple populations of native and invasive T.sebifera provenances were grown in sterilized and nonsterilized soils to examine the effects of soil biota on their seedling performance. 【Result】The results indicated that soil biota exerted positive effects on invasive lines. Compared with the native provenances, morphological and physiological traits of the invasive populations (total biomass, relative height growth rate, root:shoot ratio, total leaf area, leaf area ratio and specific leaf area) expressed substantial advantage while they were grown in nonsterilized soils. The significant interactions between provenance and soil treatment on functional traits revealed much more distinct inhibition effects of soil biota sterilization on invasive relative to native T.sebifera provenances. 【Conclusion and significance】Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that the invasive T.sebifera did not suffer from belowground natural soil enemies in its native range, which is contrary to the enemy release hypotheses prediction. In order to draw a full picture of the role played by soil biota in the successful invasion of T.sebifera, further parallel studies are highly needed in the invasive range of T.sebifera. Understanding the interaction mechanisms between soil biota and invasive plants would enable us to efficiently predict and control invasive species, so as to avoid ecosystem functions destroyed by invasive plants.