Impacts of the alien trees Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle and Robinia pseudoacacia L. on soil nutrients and microbial communities

Medina-Villar, Silvia; Rodríguez‐Echeverría, Susana; Lorenzo, Paula; Alonso, Álvaro; Corona, M. Esther Pérez; Castro‐Díez, Pilar

doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.01.015

Cited by 29 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Our results are inconsistent with other studies relating to the effects of A. altissima on the soil in the Mediterranean environment [ 26 , 27 ]. According to Medina-Villar et al [ 37 ] and Castro-Díez et al [ 28 , 38 ], we found lower total nitrogen and carbon and C/N ratio in A. altissima plots. Castro-Dìez et al [ 28 ] observed that the lower presence of total nitrogen and C/N ratio in A. altissima forests is in correspondence to the maximum nitrogen mineralization activity in the same period of the year in which our survey was carried out.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Ailanthus altissima Forests Determine a Shift in Herbaceous Layer Richness: A Paired Comparison with Hardwood Native Forests in Sub-Mediterranean Europe

Montecchiari

Tesei

Allegrezza

2020

Plants

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Ailanthus altissima is an invasive alien species (IAS) present throughout Europe and included in the list of alien species of Union concern. In sub-Mediterranean areas of central Italy, there is a lack of knowledge about this invasive species and its interactions with the native forest ecosystems. We aim to find what are the main differences in vegetation structure and floristic diversity between A. altissima forests and native forests through the assessment of the principal ecological parameters that differ between the forest types. We performed 38 phytosociological relevés and sampling of ecological parameters in A. altissima forest communities and neighboring native forests. We analyzed how species richness, diversity, life forms, life strategies, structural characteristics, and ecological parameters changed in A. altissima forests compared with native ones. We found that in A. altissima forests, there is a shift in herbaceous layer richness, with a higher presence of annual ruderal herbs and the absence of herbaceous species linked to the forest environment. The ecological parameters that diverge from the native forests were total nitrogen, total carbon, and C/N ratio. A. altissima forest communities could threaten the biodiversity of the native forest ecosystems in the sub-Mediterranean landscape, favoring ruderal species and inhibiting the presence of typical forest species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Ailanthus altissima Forests Determine a Shift in Herbaceous Layer Richness: A Paired Comparison with Hardwood Native Forests in Sub-Mediterranean Europe

Montecchiari

Tesei

Allegrezza

2020

Plants

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“…We caution against the increased availability of organic P, which may increase the loss of P in runoff, effectively turning black locust P sinks into P sources 52 . Moreover, afforestation in general, produces an increase in soil C stocks, 30–50 years after afforestation, therefore we expect further increases in C and N stocks in alien stands in the future 53 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

The invasion of abandoned fields by a major alien tree filters understory plant traits in novel forest ecosystems

Sitzia

Campagnaro

Kotze

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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The abandonment of agricultural use is a common driver of spontaneous reforestation by alien trees. The N-fixing black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is a major alien invader of old fields in Europe. Here we show that canopy dominance by this tree may filter the frequency distribution of plant functional traits in the understory of secondary woodlands. Higher soil C/N ratio and available P are associated with black locust stands, while higher soil phenols associate with native tree stands. These environmental effects result in differences in understory flowering periods, reproduction types and life forms. Our findings emphasize the effect of a major alien tree on functional plant trait composition in the early stages of spontaneous reforestation of abandoned lands, implying the development of a novel forest ecosystem on a large geographical scale.

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“…The presence and spread of alien species, an emerging phenomenon in several areas of the Mediterranean Basin [137], are partially replacing native species and are having a large impact on ecosystemic function, particularly nutrient cycles [137][138][139], and frequently decrease the rates litter decomposition [140]. Invasive plant species in Mediterranean regions frequently negatively affect the cover of understory vegetation [141] and/or change species compositions [142,143], usually reducing species diversity [142,144].…”

Section: Biogeochemical and Ecosystem Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Global Change on Mediterranean Forests and Their Services

Peñuelas

Sardans

Filella

et al. 2017

Forests

109

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Impacts of the alien trees Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle and Robinia pseudoacacia L. on soil nutrients and microbial communities

Cited by 29 publications

References 63 publications

Ailanthus altissima Forests Determine a Shift in Herbaceous Layer Richness: A Paired Comparison with Hardwood Native Forests in Sub-Mediterranean Europe

Ailanthus altissima Forests Determine a Shift in Herbaceous Layer Richness: A Paired Comparison with Hardwood Native Forests in Sub-Mediterranean Europe

The invasion of abandoned fields by a major alien tree filters understory plant traits in novel forest ecosystems

Impacts of Global Change on Mediterranean Forests and Their Services

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