Effects of Invasive Spartina alterniflora Loisel. and Subsequent Ecological Replacement by Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham. on Soil Organic Carbon Fractions and Stock

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The rapid spread of invasive Spartina alterniflora Loisel. in the mangrove ecosystems of China was reduced using Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham. as an ecological replacement. Here, we studied the effects of invasion and ecological replacement using S. apetala on soil organic carbon fractions and stock on Qi’ao Island. Materials and Methods: Seven sites, including unvegetated mudflat and S. alterniflora, rehabilitated mangroves with different ages (one, six, and 10 years) and mature native Kandelia obovata Sheue, Liu, and Yong areas were selected in this study. Samples in the top 50 cm of soil were collected and then different fractions of organic carbon, including the total organic carbon (TOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), soil water dissolved carbon (DOC) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and the total carbon stock were measured and calculated. Results: The growth of S. alterniflora and mangroves significantly increased the soil TOC, POC, and MBC levels when compared to the mudflat. S. alterniflora had the highest soil DOC contents at 0–10 cm and 20–30 cm and the one-year restored mangroves had the highest MBC content. S. alterniflora and mangroves both had higher soil total carbon pools than the mudflat. Conclusions: The invasive S. alterniflora and young S. apetala forests had significantly lower soil TOC and POC contents and total organic carbon than the mature K. obovata on Qi’ao Island. These results indicate that ecological replacement methods can enhance long term carbon storage in Spartina-invaded ecosystems and native mangrove species are recommended.

Invasive Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) Influences Soil Microbial Activities in Forest and Grassland Ecosystems in Central Europe

“…The influence of invasive species on the organic matter cycle has been reported previously, but this influence can be positive or negative [34]. Some authors state that this characteristic of invasive species can increase soil moisture and organic carbon [35,36], but our study revealed the opposite trend which was also correlated with studies by Feng et al [9]. Some ecosystems (forest systems especially) worldwide are able to storage carbon in soil that involves numerous components including biomass carbon and soil carbon [37] and every ecosystem stress (pollution, invasive status, etc.)…”

“…SOM is a property that influences soil function and directly influence soil health and quality of the environment [8]. Transformation of organic carbon in soils has a direct link to soil microbial attributes and some authors confirm that invasion has a positive effect on content of organic pool in soil ecosystems [9,10], the others showed the loss of organic matter in the specific valuable ecosystems [11,12]. Soil microbial community plays a key role in soil processes and soil enzymes catalyse reactions in soil system that have biochemical significance.…”

Impacts of Nonnative Species on the Health of Natural and Planted Forests

“…They concluded that any protection is better than none, and public ownership alone is as effective as some types of formal protection. In another study on plant invasions, Feng et al [7] examined the dynamics of invasion by smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora Loisel.) and subsequent replacement by Sonneratia mangrove (Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham.)…”

Dynamics of extracellular polymeric substances and soil organic carbon with mangrove zonation along a continuous tidal gradient

“…Generally, pioneer mangrove species (e.g., Avicennia marina) often occur in seaward zones with low tidal gradients where the sediment pore water has relatively high salinity but low nutrients, while Rhizophoraceae mangroves are often located in the middle and/ or landward areas with lower flooding stress (Cheng et al, 2020). Furthermore, carbon stock and sequestration potential of sediments may vary significantly among different mangrove communities along a continuous tidal gradient during mangrove zonation (Feng et al, 2019;Chen et al, 2021a). Moreover, both EPS contents and producers (e.g., bacteria, fungi, and benthic diatoms) may also vary significantly with the variation in aboveground mangroves (Xiao and Zheng, 2016;Wang et al, 2019b;Mai et al, 2022).…”