TITLE:
Insights into Ecological Effects of Invasive Plants on Soil Nitrogen Cycles
AUTHORS:
Congyan Wang, Hongguang Xiao, Jun Liu, Lei Wang, Daolin Du
KEYWORDS:
Invasiveness, Invasive Plants, Litter Decomposition, Soil N Cycles, Soil Microbial Community
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.6 No.1,
January
8,
2015
ABSTRACT: The increasing degree of plant invasion is an expanding problem that affects the functioning and composition of forest ecosystems with increasing anthropogenic activities, particularly soil nitrogen (N) cycles. Numerous studies have revealed that one of the main factors for successful plant invasion is that plants could pose significant effects on soil N cycles via direct and/or indirect ways, such as changes in soil microbial communities, litter decomposition rates, and/or soil physicochemical properties. We thereby summarize the ecological effects of invasive plants on soil N cycles, including the aforementioned changes, to understand the mechanism of successful invasion. We also discuss the needs for further research on the relationship between invasive plants and soil N cycles.