Chin J Plant Ecol ›› 2018, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (11): 1071-1081.DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2018.0138

Special Issue: 入侵生态学

• Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of plant invasion on soil nitrogen transformation processes and its associated microbes

CHEN Bao-Ming1,*(),WEI Hui-Jie1,CHEN Wei-Bin1,ZHU Zheng-Cai2,YUAN Ya-Ru1,ZHANG Yong-Long1,LAN Zhi-Gang3   

  1. 1School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangzhou 510275, China
    2Institute of Forestry and Landscaping of Guangzhou Zengcheng, Guangzhou 511300
    3Forest Resources Management and Protection Center of Guangzhou Zengcheng, Guangzhou 511300
  • Received:2018-06-09 Accepted:2018-11-05 Online:2018-11-20 Published:2019-03-13
  • Contact: Bao-Ming CHEN
  • Supported by:
    Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31670479);the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong(2017A030313187);the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong(2016A030313287)

Abstract:

Invasive alien plants not only influence plant community composition, biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function, but also have severe impacts on soil nitrogen transformation processes. The effects of invasive alien plants on nitrogen (N) cycling have been one of the hot topics in invasion ecology. Litter decomposition and its nutrient release play an important role in nutrient cycling. In addition, invasive alien plants have the potential to influence soil N transformation through allelopathy. All these processes are tightly related to soil microbes. Therefore, this review mainly focuses on litter decomposition and its nutrient release, and allelopathy to understand the effects of plant invasion on soil N transformation. Changes in soil N transformation and soil microbes (esp. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria and Ammonia oxidizing archaea) due to plant invasion, as well as the feedbacks of these changes to further invasion of alien plants were discussed. Finally, the interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant invasion were reviewed.

Key words: biological invasion, allelopathy, litter, nitrification, ammonia oxidizer, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi