Vera-Caraballo, Vivianette

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    Impact of invasive N-fixing tree species on soil dynamics
    (2013) Vera-Caraballo, Vivianette; Whitmire, Stefanie; College of Agricultural Sciences; Van Bloem, Skip J.; Thaxton, Jarrod M.; Department of Crops and Agro-Environmental Sciences; Matos, Abigail
    Invasive species cause impacts around the world affecting native communities through competition, hosting diseases and altering soil dynamics. Loss of native species and altered ecosystem services often result from invasion. Invasive species are often linked to their close association with humans, high dispersal rate, high reproductive capacity and wide range of adaptations. In Puerto Rico, historical deforestation for agricultural use and subsequent field abandonment left space for invasive species to establish and in most cases changed the forest species composition. Many of these invasive tree species (ITS) are N-fixing. This research looked at the ecosystem changes that occur when ITS are removed by bulldozing compared to areas with established ITS and planted native tree species. Bulldozing altered nutrient dynamics. Reference native (RN) plots had little variability and lower values (101.16 μN/10cm2/4weeks) of total N flux compared to the N-fixing tree plots (339.93 μN/10cm2/4weeks), which seemed to reflect the impact of invasive N-fixing trees in soil N flux. Total N flux, which was driven by nitrate, was higher in bulldozed plots compared to the reference native site and it increased during the dry season for all treatments. As herbaceous vegetation become established in bulldozed plots, available N decreased possibly due to plant uptake (or denitrification). High N:P flux ratios (60.0) suggested that additional nitrogen input from invasive trees could lead to phosphorus limitation, altering the soil nutrient cycle. Thus, the N-fixing tree species altered soil dynamics, and management by bulldozing can lead to ecosystem consequences. Management plans should consider these effects in restoration efforts so that N is not lost. Thus bulldozing should not be used as the only management practice when restoring an area. The restoration or management plan should include many factors like planting native species, watering new species and how to control grass.