Functional Diversity and Invasive Species Influence Soil Fertility in Experimental Grasslands.

ABSTRACT: Ecosystem properties can be positively affected by plant functional diversity and compromised by invasive alien plants. We performed a community assembly study in mesocosms manipulating different functional diversity levels for native grassland plants (communities composed by 1, 2 or 3 functional groups) to test if functional dispersion could constrain the impacts of an invasive alien plant (Solidagogigantea) on soil fertility and plant community biomass via complementarity. Response variables were soil nutrients, soil water nutrients and aboveground biomass. We applied linear mixed-effects models to assess the effects of functional diversity and S. gigantea on plant biomass, soil and soil water nutrients. A structural equation model was used to evaluate if functional diversity and invasiv

SUBMITTER: Teixeira LH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7020219 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature