Earthworms in Chromolaena odorata (L.) King and Robinson (Asteraceae) fallows along a chronosequence: Changes in community structure and identification of persistent and indicator species

Can the shrub Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae) be considered as improving soil biology and plant nutrient availability?

“…The N content (1.8%) in leaf-litter from young C. odorata leaf-litter is comparable, even higher than those of some herbaceous legume species such as Mucuna pruriens (1.6%) and Pueraria phaseoloides (1.1%) (Koné et al 2008). In older fallows (10-12 years), leaf-litter may contain up to 2.5% N (Koné et al 2012b) which is higher than N content in leaf-litter from the herbaceous legume Lablab purpureus (2.1%) (Koné et al 2012a). As a result, C. odorata leaf-litter presumably experienced a faster turnover than those in the natural savannas as reported by Koné (2009).…”

Soil Health Changes Over a 25-Year Chronosequence From Forest to Plantations in Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis) Landscapes in Southern Côte d'Ivoire: Do Earthworms Play a Role?

“…The second group consisted of Pontoscolex corethrurus, Hyperiodrilus africanus and Dichogaster papillosa, commonly found in degraded LUTs-food crops and 7-year old plantation-with high pH and bulk density along with moderate total P. Unlike M. omodeoi that was found in forested areas, a similar association was reported in the center west cocoa landscapes of Côte d'Ivoire . Indeed, as highlighted by Koné et al (2012), M. omodeoi can be viewed as a persistent species due to its ability to adapt to contrasted environments. Furthermore, the strong relationship between earthworms and SOC agrees with previous findings (Tondoh et al, 2011; and confirms the role of SOC as a key driver of earthworms' abundance and community structure in agro-ecological landscapes.…”

Invasion effects of Chromolaena odorata on soil carbon and nitrogen fractions in a tropical savanna

“…Plant invasions can result in various ecological impacts on the above-and below-ground storage and nutrient exchanges, including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), as invasive species generally have stronger growth potentials (Liao et al 2008, te Beest et al 2015. In addition, plant invasion could alter litter quality and quantity (Liao et al 2008, Peltzer et al 2010 and the decomposer community (Kourtev et al 2002, Peltzer et al 2010, Kone et al 2012b). Despite the site-specific nature of invasion (Ehrenfeld 2010, Simberloff et al 2013, negative invasion effects on several ecosystem properties have been frequently reported.…”