Effects of exotic plant invasion on soil nitrogen availability

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2018.0219

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Exotic plant invasion has been a global eco-environmental issue, which declines biodiversity and influences ecosystem structure and function. Over the past decades, more and more studies showed that influences of exotic plant invasion on soil nitrogen (N) cycles, and soil N availabilities can facilitate the success and aggravation of invading plants.
Methods Based on differences in soil N contents between invaded and uninvaded areas in natural ecosystems at the same study sites, this study explored magnitudes and ecophysiological mechanisms of soil N variations under exotic plant invasion.
Important findings Based on the data integrated from 107 papers, we found that contents of soil total N, ammonium-N, nitrate-N, inorganic N, microbial biomass N under exotic plant invasion were increased by (50 ± 14)%, (60 ± 24)%, (470 ± 115)%, (69 ± 25)%, (54 ± 20)% respectively relative to those under no invasion. The increment in the soil nitrate-N pool was highest, suggesting higher nitrification rate, which potentially promoted plant nitrate-N utilization and the coexistence of nitrate-preferring species. The increment of soil nitrate-N pool under invasion was higher in the temperate zone than the subtropical zones significantly. Invasion of N₂-fixing plants caused obviously larger increments of soil total N and nitrate-N contents compared to invasion of non-N₂-fixing plants. The invasion of woody and evergreen invasive plants caused larger increments of soil total N than herbaceous and deciduous plants, respectively. The increases in soil ammonium-N under invasion did not differ substantially among different life forms and showed no clear relationship with the percentage of N₂-fixing plants. Differently, soil nitrate-N showed much larger increments under invasion and showed positive linear relationship with the percentage of N₂-fixing invasive plants. The N₂-fixing function, litter quality and quantity of invasive plants are important factors regulating soil N mineralization and nitrification under invasion. This study provides novel insights into the mechanisms underlying the success and aggravation of plant invasion and into the relationships between soil N dynamics and plant functional traits in ecosystems under exotic plant invasion.

http://jtp.cnki.net/bilingual/detail/html/ZWSB201811007

Key words: exotic plant, invasion ecology, soil nitrogen cycle, nitrogen availability, ammonium, nitrate, soil total nitrogen

XU Hao, HU Chao-Chen, XU Shi-Qi, SUN Xin-Chao, LIU Xue-Yan. Effects of exotic plant invasion on soil nitrogen availability[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2018, 42(11): 1120-1130.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2018.0219

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2018/V42/I11/1120

Figures/Tables 4

Fig. 1 Major processes and mechanisms of changing soil nitrogen (N) availability influenced by exotic plant invasion.

Fig. 2 Soil N contents in invaded and uninvaded areas (A) and relative variation (RV) values of soil N contents in invaded areas compared to uninvaded areas (B) (mean + SE). * indicates significant variation of soil N contents between the two types of areas (p < 0.05).

Fig. 3 Soil total N (A) , NH4+-N (B) , NO3--N (C) , inorganic N (D) contents in invaded and uninvaded areas and relative variation (RV) values of soil total N (E) , NH4+-N (F) , NO3--N (G), inorganic N (H) contents in invaded areas compared to uninvaded areas among different climate zones, invasive plants with different N2-fixing functions and life forms (mean + SE). WD, YRD, and RD represent temperate, subtropical, and tropical zones, respectively; F and NF represent invasive plants with N2-fixing and non-N2-fixing functions, respectively; and AH, PH, ES, DS, ET, DT, PV, DV, and EV represent annual herb, perennial herb, evergreen shrub, deciduous shrub, evergreen tree, deciduous tree, perennial vine, deciduous vine, and evergreen vine, respectively. N.A. denotes data not available, and different letters in panels E-H indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) while * indicates significant variation of soil N contents in invaded areas compared to uninvaded areas (p < 0.05).

Fig. 4 Relationship between relative variation (RV) values of soil NH4+-N contents and percentage of N2-fixing invasive plants (A) and relationships between relative variation (RV) values of soil NO3--N contents and those of soil NH4+-N contents (hollow symbol), and percentage of N2-fixing invasive plants (solid symbol) (B) among different groups of invasive plants. AH, PH, ES, DS, ET, and DT represent annual herb, perennial herb, evergreen shrub, deciduous shrub, evergreen tree, and deciduous tree, respectively.

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