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Questad EJ, Fitch RL, Paolini J, Hernández E, Suding KN. Nitrogen addition, not heterogeneity, alters the relationship between invasion and native decline in California grasslands. Oecologia 2021; 197:651-660. [PMID: 34642816 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05049-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The presence of invasive species reduces the growth and performance of native species; however, the linear or non-linear relationships between invasive abundance and native population declines are less often studied. We examine how the amount and spatial distribution of experimental N deposition influences the relationship between non-native, invasive annual grass abundance (Bromus hordeaceus and Bromus diandrus) and a dominant, native perennial grass species (Stipa pulchra) in California. We hypothesized that native populations would decline as invasion increased, and that high nitrogen availability would cause native species to decline at lower invasion levels. We predicted that the rate of population decline would be slower in heterogeneous, compared to homogeneous, environments. We employed a field experiment that manipulated the amount and spatial heterogeneity of N addition across a range of invasive/native-dominated communities. There were strong negative and non-linear associations between level of invasion and S. pulchra proportional change (PC). Stipa pulchra PC was more negative and seedling survival was lower when N was added, and the negative effects of N addition on PC became larger in the final year of the study when S. pulchra had the largest declines. There was not strong evidence showing reduced competition in heterogeneous, compared to homogeneous, N treatments. Soil moisture was similar between S. pulchra and B. hordeaceus plots under ambient N, but B. hordeaceus under added N reduced soil moisture. Under N addition, Bromus spp. take up N earlier, reduce soil moisture, and create dry conditions in which S. pulchra declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin J Questad
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, 3801 W Temple Ave, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA.
| | - Robert L Fitch
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, 3801 W Temple Ave, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA.,Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 5221 Cheadle Hall, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Joshua Paolini
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, 3801 W Temple Ave, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - Eliza Hernández
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, 3801 W Temple Ave, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA.,Environmental Studies Program, University of Oregon, 1585 E 13th Ave, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA
| | - Katharine N Suding
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA
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Wang CJ, Wan JZ. Functional trait perspective on suitable habitat distribution of invasive plant species at a global scale. Perspect Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2021.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
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Wei W, Zhu P, Chen P, Huang Q, Bai X, Ni G, Hou Y. Mixed evidence for plant-soil feedbacks in forest invasions. Oecologia 2020; 193:665-676. [PMID: 32642792 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04703-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) are plant-mediated changes to soil properties that ultimately influence plant performance, and can, thus, determine plant diversity, succession, and invasion. We hypothesized that PSFs influence invasion processes and that PSF mechanisms are largely driven by changes in soil properties produced by specific plant species. To test these hypotheses, we studied the effects of different soils collected from under common plant species on the growth of the invasive plant Phytolacca americana. We found that PSFs may interfere with invasion resistance because P. americana seedlings showed reduced growth (lower biomass) in soils collected from underneath some native species compared with soils collected from underneath P. americana and two non-native plants. We then selected eight co-occurring native and non-native plant species, and examined PSF dynamics and mechanisms in a pairwise conditioned soil greenhouse experiment. Plant species-specific conditioning effects regarding soil nutrients and enzyme activities were observed. Phytolacca americana had a high ability to use soil N, which may be related to its high invasion ability. Soil P was significantly lower in Quercus acutissima-conditioned soil, indicating that low P availability in Q. acutissima forests may enhance resistance to plant invasion. However, surprisingly, some native plants did not produce PSF effects that decreased the relative performance of invasive plants, nor did the invasive plants produce PSF effects that increased their own performance. We speculate that these PSF findings from greenhouse experiments cannot be extrapolated to field conditions because the litter and allelochemicals of some plants may be important for invasion resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wei
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China
| | - Ping Zhu
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China
| | - Pengdong Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China
| | - Qiaoqiao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Tropical Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, China
| | - Xinfu Bai
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China
| | - Guangyan Ni
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
| | - Yuping Hou
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai, 264025, China.
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