Soil Respiration and Litter Decomposition Increased Following Perennial Forb Invasion into an Annual Grassland

doi:10.1016/S1002-0160(15)60066-2

Pedosphere

Volume 26, Issue 4, August 2016, Pages 567-576

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0160(15)60066-2 Get rights and content

Abstract

Exotic plant invasions may alter ecosystem carbon processes, especially when native plants are displaced by plants of a different functional group. Forb invasions into grasslands are common, yet little is known about how they impact carbon cycling. We conducted a field study over 2 years from April 2010 to March 2012 in China to examine changes in soil respiration (R_soil) following invasion of exotic perennial forb species (Alternanthera philoxeroides or Solidago canadensis) into an annual grassland dominated by a native annual graminoid (Eragrostis pilosa). Measurements of R_soil were taken once a week in stands of the native annual graminoid or one of the forb species using static chamber-gas chromatograph method. Aboveground litterfall of each of the three focal species was collected biweekly and litter decomposition rates were measured in a 6-month litterbag experiment. The monthly average and annual cumulative R_soil increased following invasion by either forb species. The increases in cumulative R_soil were smaller with invasion of Solidago (36%) than Alternanthera (65%). Both invasive forbs were associated with higher litter quantity and quality (e.g., C:N ratio) than the native annual graminoid. Compared to the native annual graminoid, the invasive forbs Alternanthera (155%) and Solidago (361%) produced larger amounts of more rapidly decomposing litter, with the litter decay constant k being 3.8, 2.0 and 1.0 for Alternanthera, Solidago and Eragrostis, respectively. Functional groups of the invasive plants and the native plants they replaced appear to be useful predictors of directions of changes in R_soil, but the magnitude of changes in R_soil seems to be sensitive to variations in invader functional traits.

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Soil Respiration and Litter Decomposition Increased Following Perennial Forb Invasion into an Annual Grassland

Abstract

Soil Biol Biochem

Agr Ecosyst Environ

Pedosphere

Atmos Environ

Plant phenology and life span influence soil pool dynamics: Bromus tectorum invasion of perennial C3-C4 grass communities

Plant Soil

Shrub encroachment alters sensitivity of soil respiration to temperature and moisture

J Geophys Res Biogeosci

Plant functional diversity and carbon storage—an empirical test in semi-arid forest ecosystems

J Ecol

A litter-bag method for the study of microarthropods inhabiting leaf litter

Ecology

Plant functional traits and soil carbon sequestration in contrasting biomes

Ecol Lett

Soil temperature, not aboveground plant productivity, best predicts intra-annual variations of soil respiration in central Iowa grasslands

Ecosystems

Invasion by Aegilops triuncialis (barb goatgrass) slows carbon and nutrient cycling in a serpentine grassland

Biol Invasions

A functional trait perspective on plant invasion

Ann Bot-London

Effects of exotic plant invasions on soil nutrient cycling processes

Ecosystems

Changes in soil functions following invasions of exotic understory plants in deciduous forests

Ecol Appl

Invasive Buddleja davidii allocates more nitrogen to its photosynthetic machinery than five native woody species

Oecologia

Hedychium gardnerianum invasion into Hawaiian montane rainforest: interactions among litter quality, decomposition rate, and soil nitrogen availability

Biogeochemistry

Decomposition dynamics of invasive alligator weed compared with native sedges in a Northland lake

New Zeal J Ecol

Effects of the invasive forb Centaurea maculosa on grassland carbon and nitrogen pools in Montana, USA

Ecosystems

Interannual variation in soil CO2 efflux and the response of root respiration to climate and canopy gas exchange in mature ponderosa pine

Glob Change Biol

Ecosystem carbon loss with woody plant invasion of grasslands

Nature

The vertical distribution of soil organic carbon and its relation to climate and vegetation

Ecol Appl

Effects of invasion of Mikania micrantha on germination of rice seedlings, plant richness, chemical properties and respiration of soil

Biol Fertil Soils

Shrub encroachment in North American grasslands: shifts in growth form dominance rapidly alters control of ecosystem carbon inputs

Glob Change Biol

Invasion of non-native grasses causes a drop in soil carbon storage in California grasslands

Environ Res Lett

Plant phenology and life span influence soil pool dynamics: Bromus tectorum invasion of perennial C₃-C₄ grass communities

Interannual variation in soil CO₂ efflux and the response of root respiration to climate and canopy gas exchange in mature ponderosa pine