Centre for Biodiversity & Taxonomy, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, J & K, Srinagar, 190006, India.
Biological Invasions Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, J & K, Srinagar, 190006, India.
Environ Monit Assess. 2020 Jan 27;191(Suppl 3):792. doi: 10.1007/s10661-019-7683-x.
Understanding the impact of plant invasions on the terrestrial ecosystems, particularly below-ground soil system dynamics can be vital for successful management and restoration of invaded landscapes. Here, we report the impacts of a global plant invader, Leucanthemum vulgare Lam. (ox-eye daisy), on the key physico-chemical soil properties across four sites selected along an altitudinal gradient (1600-2550 m) in Kashmir Himalaya, India. At each site, two types of spatially separated but environmentally similar sampling plots: invaded (IN) and uninvaded (UN) were selected for soil sampling. The results revealed that invasion by L. vulgare had a significant impact on key soil properties in the IN plots. The soil pH, water content, organic carbon and total nitrogen were significantly higher in the IN plots as compared with the UN plots. In contrast, the electrical conductivity, phosphorous and micronutrients, viz. iron, copper, manganese and zinc, were significantly lower in the IN plots as compared with the UN plots. These changes in the soil system dynamics associated with L. vulgare invasion were consistent across all the sites. Also, among the sites, soil properties of low-altitude site (1600 m) were different from the rest of the sampling sites. Overall, the results of the present study indicate that L. vulgare, by altering key properties of the soil system, is likely to influence nutrient cycling processes and facilitates positive feedback for itself. Furthermore, the research insights from this study have wide management implications in the effective ecological restoration of the invaded landscapes.
了解植物入侵对陆地生态系统的影响，特别是地下土壤系统动态，对于成功管理和恢复入侵景观至关重要。在这里，我们报告了一种全球植物入侵物种，Leucanthemum vulgare Lam.（牛眼雏菊），对印度克什米尔喜马拉雅山沿海拔梯度（1600-2550 米）选择的四个地点的关键理化土壤特性的影响。在每个地点，选择两种类型的空间上分离但环境相似的采样点：入侵（IN）和未入侵（UN）进行土壤采样。结果表明，L. vulgare 的入侵对 IN 样地的关键土壤特性有显著影响。与 UN 样地相比，IN 样地的土壤 pH 值、含水量、有机碳和总氮明显更高。相比之下，IN 样地的电导率、磷和微量元素（铁、铜、锰和锌）明显低于 UN 样地。与 L. vulgare 入侵相关的这些土壤系统动态的变化在所有地点都是一致的。此外，在所有地点中，低海拔地点（1600 米）的土壤性质与其余采样地点不同。总体而言，本研究的结果表明，L. vulgare 通过改变土壤系统的关键特性，可能会影响养分循环过程，并为其自身提供积极的反馈。此外，这项研究的研究结果对有效恢复入侵景观具有广泛的管理意义。
