Austroeupatorium inulifolium invasion alters litter dynamics in Cymbopogon nardus-dominated man-made grasslands

Abstract

Austroeupatorium inulifolium Cymbopogon nardus Austroeupatorium inulifolium has become a noxious the mid-country of Sri Lanka. Highly degraded man-made grasslands dominated by Cymbopogon nardus in the Knuckles Conservation Area (KCA) have shown a high vulnerability for A. inulifolium spread. The present study was aimed at assessing the ability of A. inulifolium to alter soil nutrient turnover through changes in quality and quantity of litter inputs decomposition rates. Two grassland communities were selected based on the extent of A. inulifolium invasion viz., less-invaded (LIG) and highly-invaded (HIG). The surface litter and standing 2 and 2 in situ litterbag experiment was conducted using air-dried A. inulifolium and C. nardus litter separately and as a mixture to estimate decomposition rates and nutrient release patterns. The surface and standing A. inulifolium biomass in both communities. A. inulifolium litter decayed and released nutrients rapidly than that of C. nardus. The A. inulifolium invasion has the potential to increase the soil nutrient status through its release patterns. The results demonstrated the positive impact of A. inulifolium while highlighting the potential role of invasive species in degraded habitats.

Native bamboos with invasive traits: impacts, consequences and challenges with special emphasis on Asia Pacific Region

“…Exotic invaders are known to modify soil nutrient pools and their dynamics through altered litter production, litter quality and decomposition rates (Harner et al, 2009;Sharma and Raghubanshi 2009;Piyasinghe et al, 2019). However, similar studies lack on 'native invaders' (Bai et al, 2016).…”