Physico-Chemical Soil Properties Affected by Invasive Plants in Southwest Germany (Rhineland-Palatinate)—A Case Study

Abstract

The invasive plant species Impatiens glandulifera native to Asia mainly occupies European riparian ecosystems. It is still unclear to which extent this invasive plant can alter physico-chemical soil properties in terms of carbon turnover, microstructural stability and soil hydraulic properties threatening native plant species, here represented by Urtica dioica. Soil samples were collected from three sites in the Palatine forest near the river Queich, including bare soil (Control), or soil within dense stands of either I. glandulifera or U. dioica with similar texture. Basic soil parameters including SOM content and quality were analyzed. SOM is known to impact soil microstructural stability and soil hydraulic properties. We therefore assessed microstructural stability, the pore size distribution and the wettability. Our results implied more recalcitrant SOM for soil colonized by U. dioca including a lower pH. For soil colonized by I.glandulifera less recalcitrant SOM was detected indicating a reduced degradation which is likely given due to lignin as a predominant component in the plant biomass of I. glandulifera Soil microstructural stability was higher for soil colonized by the invader showing a slight increase with soil depth, due to higher SOM content. All in all, this case study indicates that I. glandulifera most likely affects the soil microbiome while basic soil parameters, soil hydraulic properties, wettability and soil microstructural stability showed no significant effect.

Effect of Seasonal Changes on Photosynthetic Pigments and Proline Contents of Some Plants Growing Naturally in Tayma Region, Saudi Arabia

“…The two-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant effect (P < 0.05 or 0.01) of plant species, depths and their interaction on all soil chemical properties under study, with the exception of Ec, HCO 3 and SO 4 -by depth factor, as well as pH, Ec and Ca ++ by species x depths interaction. Our results were in line with El-Absy [6], El-Absy and Kamel [13], Han et al [52] and Jamin et al [53].…”

Four Invasive Plant Species in Southwest Saudi Arabia Have Variable Effects on Soil Dynamics

“…Invasive plant species can outcompete and reduce the abundance of native plant species [ 42 ], alter soil properties [ 26 ], and homogenize the biodiversity of invaded communities and ecosystems [ 43 ]. Invasive plant species may alter soil properties in their new ranges, but the magnitude and direction of these changes are sometimes unique to each invasive species and often vary among habitats for the same non-native species [ 6 , 8 , 12 , 32 , 33 , 44 , 45 ]. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the biogeochemical consequences of the invasion of Prosopis juliflora , Ipomoea carnea , Leucaena leucocephala , and Opuntia ficus-indica in Saudi Arabia.…”

“…Other studies have reported no statistically significant difference among the properties and microelements of soils from habitats infested with invasive plant species compared to the soils of equivalent habitats occupied by native plant species [ 6 , 8 , 12 , 32 , 33 ]. Moreover, several studies that have compared the capacity of multiple invasive species to alter soil properties within the same experiments design have revealed contrasting results among the species examined [ 6 , 8 , 32 ].…”

A Modeling Framework to Frame a Biological Invasion: Impatiens glandulifera in North America

“…Although I. glandulifera is defined as a transformer species [ 58 ], conclusions about its impact on species composition, diversity, and richness vary from “insignificant” [ 59 , 60 , 61 ] to “prominent” [ 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ]. However, the differences can be attributed to factors such as the initial conditions of the invasion sites [ 67 ], the residence time in the invasion site [ 68 ], and local species composition [ 62 ].…”