scholarly journals Three Invasive Tree Species Change Soil Chemistry in Guam Forests

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Marler

Research Highlights: Established stands of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit, Spathodea campanulata P. Beauv., and Vitex parviflora Juss. modified soils in Guam’s limestone forests, reducing storage pools of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Background and Objectives: Invasive plants may engineer negative changes in ecosystem properties. This study was conducted to determine changes in soil chemistry following infestations of three problematic tree species on Guam. Materials and Methods: Minerals, metals, and mineralization dynamics were measured in invaded sites and paired sites with biodiverse native tree cover. Results: Most soil properties were significantly changed by long-term infestations of the invasive tree species. The soils within invaded sites exhibited total carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus that were less than native sites. In contrast, the carbon/nitrogen ratio increased for every species-site combination. The other chemical properties were idiosyncratic among the sites and species. Conclusions: Mitigation and restoration activities that include the removal of these trees from project sites may require many years for the below-ground ecosystems to return to their native state. These three invasive trees decrease the ability of Guam soils to sequester recalcitrant forms of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44
Author(s):  
Vincent Habumugisha ◽  
Khaldoon A. Mourad ◽  
Léonidas Hashakimana

Background: Trees often affect the chemical properties of soil, positively or negatively. Objective: This paper studied the effects of Podocarpus falcatus and Markhamia lutea trees on soil chemistry in Ruhande Arboretum, Rwanda. Methods: Soil samples were collected using Zigzag method from Arboretum forest of Ruhande at different depths (0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm). For each plot, 25 samples were collected to make one composite sample per plot for each depth. Results: The results showed that tree species contributed to the changes of soil chemistry along the depths of the soil layers. The laboratory analyses showed that there was a high significant influence of tree species on soil pH and Aluminum ions. However, it was observed that there was no significant influence of Podocarpus falcatus and Markhamia lutea species on the available phosphorus or on the total exchangeable acidity. On the other hand, analyzing soil samples under Markhamia lutea showed an increase in the total nitrogen and a decrease in the pH and available phosphorus. Conclusion: Trees affect the chemical properties of soils. Therefore, it is recommended that under acidic soils, for example, forestry and agroforestry actors should use less acidifying tree species, such as Markhamia lutea and Podocarpus falcatus.


2013 ◽  
Vol 111 (5) ◽  
pp. 895-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joice Ndlovu ◽  
David M. Richardson ◽  
John R. U. Wilson ◽  
Martin O'Leary ◽  
Johannes J. Le Roux

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (8) ◽  
pp. 991-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.K. Adams ◽  
D. Saenz

Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera (L.) Small) is an aggressive invasive tree species that can be abundant in parts of its non-native range. This tree species has the capability of producing monocultures, by outcompeting native trees, which can be in or near wetlands that are utilized by breeding amphibians. Existing research suggests that leaf litter from invasive Chinese tallow reduces survival in larval anurans. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Chinese tallow leaf litter on anuran eggs. We exposed eggs of the Southern Leopard Frog ( Lithobates sphenocephalus (Cope, 1886)) at various stages of development to different concentrations of Chinese tallow leaf litter to determine survival. Eggs in the earliest stages of development that we exposed to tallow leaf litter died, regardless of concentration; however, some more-developed eggs exposed to tallow leaf litter did hatch. We determined that the greater the concentration of tallow leaf litter, the lower the dissolved oxygen and pH levels we observed. We suggest that changes in these water-quality parameters are the cause of the observed mortality of anuran eggs in our experiments. Eggs exposed to water containing tallow leaf litter with dissolved oxygen <1.59 mg/L and a pH <5.29 did not survive to hatching.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenchun He ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Xiaochen Wen ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Baoru Xiao ◽  
...  

Abstract The growth of fine roots of trees is affected by environmental changes and biological factors. At present, there have been many researches on the physiological plasticity of fine roots caused by environmental changes, but there are still few studies on the influence of biological factors on fine roots. This paper focused on the contents of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), and their ecological stoichiometric ratios in different root orders of Cupressus funebris fine roots in 11 mixed stands with Koelreuteria paniculate or Toona sinensis at different ratios, and the effects of soil physical and chemical properties on the root chemical properties. It aimed to provide new insights into the fine-root nutrient distribution pattern and the transformation or reconstruction of low-efficiency pure forests from the standpoint of forest types. The results showed that: soil pH, and the content of available nitrogen (SAN), available phosphorus (SAP) and available potassium (SAK) differed significantly in the tested mixed forest stands. No significant differences in carbon content of fine roots were observed in different mixed stands. The content of nitrogen and phosphorus in fine roots in mixed forests showed heterogeneity. Species mixing changed the C/N, C/P and N/P of the C. funebris compared the pure stands. The "T. sinensis + C. funebris" forest alleviated the limitation of the lack of phosphorus on fine roots of C. funebris on. The principal component analysis showed that mixed stands of "T. sinensis + C. funebris" had the highest comprehensive score at ratio of "3:1". Thus, our results recommended the adoption of T. sinensis, especially at 75%, to reconstruct the low-efficiency pure C. funebris forest.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1084
Author(s):  
Vittoria Giannini ◽  
Eleonora Peruzzi ◽  
Grazia Masciandaro ◽  
Serena Doni ◽  
Cristina Macci ◽  
...  

In 2013, a pilot experimental field of about 15 ha was set up within the basin of Lake Massaciuccoli (Tuscany, Italy) in order to compare different management strategies—a paludicultural system (PCS), a constructed wetland system (CWS), a nearly-natural wetland system (NWS)—for peatland restoration after almost a century of drainage-based agricultural use (CS). After five years, changes in peat soil quality were investigated from a chemical, biochemical, and ecoenzymatic perspective. The soil in CS was mainly characterized by oxidant conditions, higher content of overall microbial activity, low levels of easily available phosphorus for vegetation, and medium total carbon content ranging from 25.0% to 30.7%. In PCS, the levels of total carbon and the content of bioavailable P were higher, while the oxidant conditions were lower compared to the other systems. As expected, the soils in CWS and NWS were characterized by the most reduced conditions and by the highest levels of arylsulphatase activity. It was noteworthy that soils in the NWS systems were characterized by the highest level of nonavailable P. Outputs from ecoenzymatic activity confirmed the physico-chemical and biochemical results.


Ecology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Moyano ◽  
Mariano A. Rodriguez‐Cabal ◽  
Martin A. Nuñez

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 469-472
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Kurokochi ◽  
Hiroshi Uchiyama ◽  
Mikio Hasegawa ◽  
Yoko Saito ◽  
Yuji Ide

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