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- Title
Effects of exotic plant species on soil properties in hardwood forests of New Jersey
- Authors
Ehrenfeld, J. G.; Kourtev, P. S.; Huang, W. Z.
- Abstract
Two exotic plant species, Berberis thunbergii and Microstegium vimineum, recently have invaded deciduous hardwood forests in the Northeast. We examined changes in soil properties that may be associated withthis invasion in three parks in northern New Jersey. In each park, we collected soil and vegetation data along transects that were established across heavily infested areas and extended into uninvaded forest. The data were analyzed statistically by ANOVA and Canonical Correspondence Analysis(CCA). Significant differences were found between invaded and uninvaded plots in both soil and vegetation characteristics. Invaded areas have fewer oaks (Quercus spp.) in the canopy, and lack the native understory shrubs (Vaccinium spp.). The pH of soils in the invaded areas is significantly higher flan in the uninvaded areas,and the litter and organic horizons are thinner. The data cannot show that the exotic species have caused these changes. However, the occurrence of contrasting soils in adjacent areas of native vegetation, with no evidence of differences in land-use history between areas, suggests that such a cause-and-effect relationship exists. We propose afeedback loop involving the exotic plants, and the presence of earthworms to explain these dramatic soil differences.
- Subjects
NEW Jersey; UNITED States; BIOGEOCHEMISTRY; PLANTS; FORESTS &; forestry
- Publication
Water, Air & Soil Pollution, 1998, Vol 105, Issue 1-2, p493
- ISSN
0049-6979
- Publication type
Article