Effect of exotic invasive old world climbing fern (lygodium microphyllum) on soil properties

Abstract

Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum) has become one of the most serious ecological threats to the integrity of the greater Everglades ecosystem of south Florida. In this study, we analyzed the effects of Old World climbing fern on surfacesoil characteristics at invaded sites in Florida. We compared soil characteristics of six invaded and adjacent uninvaded plots at three different locations. Our results show that the fern can grow and thrive in a wide range of soil types and the impact on the soil was site specific with effects being more prominent in sites with low nutrient status. Additionally, there were significant differences in the soil nutrient status and microbial population in the invaded and uninvaded sites. Sites with Old World climbing fern had significantly higher nutrient concentrations that correlated with higher soil organic matter. Overall our results indicate that this exotic pest plant can potentially alter its below ground environment to its own benefit by enhancing the soil nutrient status byadding soil organic matter.

Effects of Prosopis velutina Invasion on Soil Characteristics along the Riverine System of the Molopo River in North-West Province, South Africa

“…Table 3 shows that the site effect was highly significant (p < 0.05) for all the soil parameters analysed, indicating that P. velutina can adapt to and thrive in sites with a significant variation in soil characteristics. is is in line with earlier studies reported by [38]. Furthermore, the results of this study reveal that P. velutina has a significant effect on all the soil properties, indicating that the influence on soil characteristic varied widely depending on the existing site conditions.…”

“…ese outcomes are generally consistent with other studies on invasive species, which indicate significant effects of invasive species on different soil properties [13,37,38]. In this research, soil UC of P. velutina consistently had higher value of soil properties compared to soil in IC and BM stands (Table 2), which is in agreement with many earlier report where the soil characteristics decline from the base of the tree to adjacent open areas [39,40].…”