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

Abstract

Invasive alien plants are one of the major threats to ecosystems. Many invasive plant species, such as Prosopis species, have been introduced around the world and can alter the soil properties of invaded ecosystems. It is one of the most aggressive invasive plant invaders in the North-West Province of South Africa, but little information is available about their influence on soil properties. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Prosopis velutina invasion on selected soil properties at five different sites along the riverine system of the Molopo River in North West Province. At each study site, soil characteristics were measured from soil samples taken under P. velutina canopies, between canopies and in the benchmark stands free of Prosopis species. The effect on selected soil properties of P. velutina invasion varied between the three stands and between sites. In all the sites, almost all soils collected from under the canopies had a significantly higher soil exchangeable Ca, K, Mg, and Na, organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (P), Electrical conductivity (EC), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) than the other sample positions, except for the pH which had the high value in intercanopies. Significantly higher ( p < 0.05 ) values of almost all soil properties were found on the densely invaded sites (Tshidilamolomo I and Tshidilamolomo II) compared to lightly invaded sites (Mabule, Black Heat Farm, and Bray). However, it was difficult to generalise as the effects often appear to be site-specific. In addition, the findings also indicated that soils textural classes ranged between sand, silt, and clay in all study sites with a higher proportion of sand in the benchmark than in the soil under the canopies and intercanopies. Soil characteristics differed significantly more between sites than among positions. The site effects observed in this current study provide evidences that this species may occupy a relatively broad soil niche.

Impact of Alien Invasive Species ( DC.) on Cassia spectabilis Soil Properties in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve

“…Similar C. spectabilis results reported for -infested soils in Australia L. camara where the higher soil pH was found in Lantana invaded sites compared to noninvaded sites (Osunkoya and Perrett 2011). In contrasting to the present study Comole et al (2021) reported that almost all soils collected from under the Prosopis velutina canopies had a significantly higher soil exchangeable Ca, K, Mg, and Na, organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (P), Electrical conductivity (EC), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) than the other sample positions, except for the pH which had the high value in inter-canopies. Electric conductivity: The electric conductivity did not vary significantly between infestation levels in D B Kuppe range.…”

Impact of Prosopis velutina Wooton on the Composition and Diversity of Native Woody Species in a Semi-Arid Zone along the Molopo River, South Africa

“…Although P. velutina reduced their abundances significantly, they were more associated with P. velutina than the other woody plant species. According to Comole et al [ 24 ], these native species are quite a constant element of the P. velutina association.…”

“…However, very little attention has been paid to understanding the impacts of exotic species on indigenous woody plant communities in riparian zones. In this context, one significant invader plant commonly occurring within the riparian areas alongside the Molopo River in the North-West Province and provoking serious economic and ecologic concerns is P. velutina [ 24 , 25 ]. The dominance of P. velutina reduces the physiognomic heterogeneity of riparian habitats.…”

Analysis of Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) Protein Concentrate for Possible Use as Supplementary Protein

“…The seeds are found in the wild and have low commercial value. It is a legume of the bean, pea, caraota, and quinchoncho family, Mimosaceae [20][21][22][23]. The protein of mesquite constitutes 60% of the weight of the seeds, but for animals to benefit from it, the pods and seeds must be crushed; otherwise, they pass through the digestive tract without being digested.…”