Impact of Non-native Plant Species Invasion on the Ecosystem

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 10168

Special Issue Editors

Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), 04001 Košice, Slovakia
Interests: soil free-living and plant parasitic nematodes; soil nematode taxonomy; systematics and identification; plant nematology; ecology; plant protection; natural and biological control methods against plant parasitic nematodes
Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3 / Puškinova 6, 04001 Košice, Slovakia
Interests: morphological identification and taxonomic classification of free-living and plant parasitic nematodes; geographical distribution of soil nematodes in different types of agroecosystems and natural ecosystems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Invasion is not a novel phenomenon; however, it is one that has increased tremendously during the past few decades due to rapidly expanding trade and transport among countries. In fact, it has led to the globalization of the word biota, further resulting in biotic homogenization. Among various organisms, invasive plants are considered to be one of the leading threats to the ecological integrity of the flora and fauna, which can wreak havoc in the ecosystems over with far-reaching consequences. Thousands of alien plant species have been introduced, both intentionally and unintentionally, to native ecosystems across the globe. However, not all alien plants that are introduced somewhere become invasive and threaten local biodiversity. Therefore, knowing their behavior in new environments is critical to estimating their potential, pervasive impact on native biota; however, this can be difficult to determine. In this Special Issue on “Impact of Non-Native Plant Species Invasion on the Ecosystem”, research articles, reviews, and viewpoints focused on the ecological effects of invasive organisms (animals and plants) on aboveground and belowground subsystems in the area where they are introduced are welcome.

Please feel free to contact us if you are not sure about the suitability of your topic for this Special Issue.

Dr. Marek Renčo
Dr. Andrea Čerevková
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1208 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Effect of Organic Matter from Invasive Plants on Soil Nematode Communities
by Michaela Jakubcsiková, Lenka Demková, Marek Renčo and Andrea Čerevková
Plants 2023, 12(19), 3459; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193459 - 30 Sep 2023
Viewed by 627
Abstract
Invasive plants can cause loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems with varying degrees of impact on soil communities. Little is known about how the organic matter of these invaders in the soil affects soil properties and nematode communities. We performed a pot [...] Read more.
Invasive plants can cause loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems with varying degrees of impact on soil communities. Little is known about how the organic matter of these invaders in the soil affects soil properties and nematode communities. We performed a pot experiment with non-invaded grassland soil and organic matter from two invasive plants, Fallopia japonica and Solidago gigantea, to assess and compare the composition and function of the nematode communities and soil properties. We tested five treatments: (1) non-invaded grassland soil (S), (2) 100% decayed organic matter from F. japonica (OMF), (3) 100% decayed organic matter from S. gigantea (OMS), (4) 50% soil plus 50% organic matter from F. japonica (S/OMF), and (5) 50% soil plus 50% organic matter from S. gigantea (S/OMS). Analysis of nematode composition was conducted over five months from May to September. The number of identified genera and diversity index was highest in the S treatment. The soil moisture content was highest, pH and the diversity index were lowest and herbivorous nematodes were absent in OMF and OMS treatments. The addition of OMF and OMS to soil decreased the soil pH and moisture content and increased the contents of organic carbon and total nitrogen. In S/OMF, the abundance of herbivores was lower than in S and the abundances of bacterivores and fungivores decreased during the study period. In the S/OMS, a significantly high diversity index was observed, similar to that in the S treatment. The selected ecological and functional indices differed between S/OMF, S/OMS and S, but not significantly. Our findings indicated that the organic matter from the two invasive plants could differentially contribute to interactions with nematode communities. A decrease in productivity and the slowing of nutrient cycling demonstrated by the decrease in the abundances of bacterivores and fungivorous nematodes may be common adding organic matter of invasive plants to soil. A decrease in the abundance of herbivores after the application of organic matter of F. japonica could potentially be used as an ecologically friendly management strategy against plant parasitic nematodes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Non-native Plant Species Invasion on the Ecosystem)
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19 pages, 1059 KiB  
Article
The Invasion of Alien Populations of Solanum elaeagnifolium in Two Mediterranean Habitats Modifies the Soil Communities in Different Ways
by Maria Karmezi, Nikos Krigas, Efimia M. Papatheodorou and Maria D. Argyropoulou
Plants 2023, 12(11), 2193; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12112193 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 908
Abstract
We aimed to explore how the invasion of the alien plant Solanum elaeagnifolium affects soil microbial and nematode communities in Mediterranean pines (Pinus brutia) and maquis (Quercus coccifera). In each habitat, we studied soil communities from the undisturbed core of [...] Read more.
We aimed to explore how the invasion of the alien plant Solanum elaeagnifolium affects soil microbial and nematode communities in Mediterranean pines (Pinus brutia) and maquis (Quercus coccifera). In each habitat, we studied soil communities from the undisturbed core of both formations and from their disturbed peripheral areas that were either invaded or not by S. elaeagnifolium. Most studied variables were affected by habitat type, while the effect of S. elaeagnifolium was different in each habitat. Compared to maquis, the soil in pines had higher silt content and lower sand content and higher water content and organic content, supporting a much larger microbial biomass (PLFA) and an abundance of microbivorous nematodes. The invasion of S. elaeagnifolium in pines had a negative effect on organic content and microbial biomass, which was reflected in most bacterivorous and fungivorous nematode genera. Herbivores were not affected. In contrast, in maquis, organic content and microbial biomass responded positively to invasion, raising the few genera of enrichment opportunists and the Enrichment Index. Most microbivores were not affected, while herbivores, mostly Paratylenchus, increased. The plants colonizing the peripheral areas in maquis probably offered a qualitative food source to microbes and root herbivores, which in pines was not sufficient to affect the much larger microbial biomass. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Non-native Plant Species Invasion on the Ecosystem)
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17 pages, 10017 KiB  
Article
Changes in the Invasion Rate of Prosopis juliflora and Its Impact on Depletion of Groundwater in the Northern Part of the United Arab Emirates
by Fares M. Howari, Manish Sharma, Yousef Nazzal, Ali El-Keblawy, Shajrat Mir, Cijo M. Xavier, Imen Ben Salem, Ahmed A. Al-Taani and Fatima Alaydaroos
Plants 2022, 11(5), 682; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11050682 - 02 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3990
Abstract
Prosopis species were introduced to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) region for desert greening. However, the species now pose a great threat to the native plant diversity. This study used high-resolution satellite imagery (1990–2019) to understand the history and current distribution of Prosopis [...] Read more.
Prosopis species were introduced to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) region for desert greening. However, the species now pose a great threat to the native plant diversity. This study used high-resolution satellite imagery (1990–2019) to understand the history and current distribution of Prosopis species and their impact on fresh groundwater. The results show that the Prosopis invasion in the study area reached its maximum expansion rate in 2019 and covered an area of about 16 km2 compared to 0.2 km2 in 1990. The areas near Sharjah Airport, Umm Fannan, and Al Talla, located at a lower elevation of the sand dune area, are heavily invaded. Prosopis groundwater requirement derived using evapotranspiration shows that groundwater consumption has changed drastically after 2010 and consumed about 22.22 million m3 of groundwater in 2019, which is about a 7372% increase in groundwater consumption from the year 1990 to 2019. The results can be useful for setting up a management plan for the sustainable use of this species in the UAE region in particular and other similar countries in the arid land regions that are suffering from freshwater depletion because of Prosopis invasion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Non-native Plant Species Invasion on the Ecosystem)
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18 pages, 731 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Giant Hogweed Invasion Contributes to the Structural Changes of Soil Nematofauna
by Marek Renčo, Jana Jurová, Erika Gömöryová and Andrea Čerevková
Plants 2021, 10(10), 2103; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10102103 - 04 Oct 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2007
Abstract
Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed) is the largest central European forb, naturalized or invasive in many European countries. The impacts of its colonization of native habitats on soil mesofauna groups are unfortunately obscure. This study assessed the effect of giant hogweed invasion on the [...] Read more.
Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed) is the largest central European forb, naturalized or invasive in many European countries. The impacts of its colonization of native habitats on soil mesofauna groups are unfortunately obscure. This study assessed the effect of giant hogweed invasion on the communities of plants and soil nematodes in the riparian habitat. We found that invasion by H. mantegazzianum increased soil pH, decreased carbon and nitrogen content, reduced the number and coverage of the native plant species, and influenced nematode communities and their structures. Nematode species number was significantly lower in invaded than uninvaded plots, but nematode species diversity was not affected by invasion throughout the whole study. Total nematode abundance slightly increased under giant hogweed, while total nematode biomass did not differ between the invaded and uninvaded plots. The higher abundance of bacterivores and fungivores but lower number of omnivorous nematodes well represented the negative impact of giant hogweed invasion on soil food webs, supported by low values of all maturity indices or channel index. The hogweed invaded plots contained higher abundance of plant parasitic nematodes, mainly Paratylenchus microdorus. Our results thus indicate that invasion by H. mantegazzianum influences several nematode communities’ parameters while others remain unaffected by invasion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Non-native Plant Species Invasion on the Ecosystem)
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Review

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16 pages, 2043 KiB  
Review
Invasive Mechanisms of One of the World’s Worst Alien Plant Species Mimosa pigra and Its Management
by Hisashi Kato-Noguchi
Plants 2023, 12(10), 1960; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12101960 - 11 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1853
Abstract
Mimosa pigra is native to Tropical America, and it has naturalized in many other countries especially in Australia, Eastern and Southern Africa and South Asia. The species is listed in the top 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species and is listed [...] Read more.
Mimosa pigra is native to Tropical America, and it has naturalized in many other countries especially in Australia, Eastern and Southern Africa and South Asia. The species is listed in the top 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species and is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. M. pigra forms very large monospecific stands in a wet–dry tropical climate with conditions such as floodplains, riverbanks, grasslands, forests and agricultural fields. The stands expand quickly and threaten the native flora and fauna in the invasive ranges. Possible mechanisms of the invasion of the species have been investigated and accumulated in the literature. The characteristics of the life history such as the high reproduction and high growth rate, vigorous mutualism with rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, very few natural enemies, and allelopathy, and certain secondary metabolites may contribute to the invasiveness and naturalization of M. pigra. Herbicide application, such as aerial spraying, foliar, cut-stump and soil treatments, is the primary control methods of M. pigra. The investigation of the natural enemies of M. pigra has been conducted in its native ranges since 1979, and biological control agents have been selected based on host specificity, rearing and availability. Mechanical control practices, such as hand weeding, bulldozing, chaining and fire, were also effective. However, the species often regrow from the remaining plant parts. Integration of multiple weed control practices may be more effective than any single practice. This is the first review article focusing on the invasive mechanism of M. pigra. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Non-native Plant Species Invasion on the Ecosystem)
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