High Colonization Possibility of Some Species of Weeds in Suaeda salsa Community: From an Ecological Stoichiometry Perspective

Abstract

Suaeda salsa community is a vegetation type in saline-alkali areas. Weed invasion and colonization in S. salsa communities lead to fragmentationsof S. salsa communities. The colonization of invaded weeds in S. salsa communities is related to community succession of saline-alkali zones. The fragmented S. salsa community may be restored if the mechanism of invaded weed colonization in S. salsa communities is clearly elucidated. Thus, we studied the ecological stoichiometric characteristics of soils and plants in a salt marsh to explain the high colonization possibility of invaded weeds in S. salsa communities. In October 2014, soils and plants were collected from Dongfeng Salt Marsh, Jiaozhou Bay, Shandong Province, China. The ratio of Ex-N/Ex-P in soil was less than 13, which suggests a relative nitrogen limitation for the primary production in the zone. The minimum phosphorus content in plants was higher than 1 mg g-1, whereas the maximum nitrogen content in plants was less than 13 mg g-1. These results imply that phosphorus was abundant, whereas nitrogen was deficient in the area. The plants in the salt marsh may be limited by nitrogen. Given the relatively lower nitrogen contents in Cyperus glomeratus, Echinochloa crusgalli, and Aster subulatus than that in S. salsa, these three species exhibited higher competitiveness than S. salsa did when nitrogen was limited in primary production. These weed species may colonize highly in S. salsa communities. Moreover, nitrogen fertilization might be effective to maintain S. salsa community in Dongfeng Salt Marsh, whereas its effects on controlling weeds colonization in S. salsa communities need more studies to verify.

Functional characterization of a type 2 metallothionein gene, SsMT2, from alkaline-tolerant Suaeda salsa

“…Several S . salsa communities have been developed as tourism resources in saline-alkali soil 7 . S .…”

Impact of farming system practices on weeds in arable farmlands in University of Port Harcourt and environs, Rivers State-Nigeria

“…Many literatures are available which have reviewed or commented on all the old and new methods in weed control and no single method completely eliminate weeds [11]; [12]; [13]. Weeds when threatened, they also devise other methods to propagate themselves further for example weed resistance to herbicides [14]; [15]; [16]and the ability to colonize an area and then eliminate the indigenous weed species, production of large number of weed seeds [17]; [18]; [19].…”