Soil Biota Can Change after Exotic Plant Invasion: Does This Affect Ecosystem Processes?

Invasion of the exotic annual grass Bromus tectorum into stands of the native perennial grass Hilaria jamesii significantly reduced the abundance of soil biota, especially microarthropods and nematodes. Effects of invasion on active and total bacterial and fungal biomass were variable, although populations generally increased after 50+ years of invasion. The invasion of Bromus also resulted in a decrease in richness and a species shift in plants, microarthropods, fungi, and nematodes. However, despite the depauperate soil fauna at the invaded sites, no effects were seen on cellulose decomposition rates, nitrogen mineralization rates, or vascular plant growth. When Hilaria was planted into soils from not-invaded,...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation, Journal Citation; Tags: Ecology, decomposition, desert grassland, ecological legacy, microarthropods, All tags... nitrogen, nutrient cycles, phosphorus, rangeland, Fewer tags