The Role of Black Locust (Robinia Pseudo-Acacia) in Forest Succession

Abstract

SUMMARY(1) Early forest regeneration in southern Appalachian hardwood forests is dominated by the woody nitrogen-fixing legume, black locust (Robinia pseudo-acacia). Although it grows most prevalently on clear-felled areas, abandoned pastures, or disturbed roadsides, it may have historically been an important colonizer of burned sites. Although it commonly reproduces from seed germination, sprouting from stumps and roots is its most prevalent means of regeneration. Early sprout growth is rapid, attaining heights up to 8 m in 3 years.(2) Except for stands on high-nutrient sites, growth decreases after 10-20 years. In less vigorous stands, stem mortality may be high due to attacks by the locust stem borer (Megacyllene robiniae). The high mortality of black locust is an early successional mechanism that releases cpdominant species such as Liriodendron tulipifera, and creates canopy gaps favourable for growth of longer-lived individuals.(3) Total biomass accretion in 4, 17 and 38-year-old black locust stands growing on fertile, mesic sites was 33, 174 and 399 t ha~', respectively, in comparison to 198 t ha~' for an older, uneven-aged mixed oak forest with a history of disturbance.(4) Biomass accumulation was the predominant fate of fixed N in all three stands, with an addition to total soil N apparent only in the 38-year-old stand.(5) Symbiotic N fixation by black locust apparently increased the concentration of NO 3 in the soil. The source of elevated soil NO 3 is hypothesized to be high fluxes of N from leaf and root litter mineralization and nitrification, and perhaps from canopy insect frass.(6) Total stand N increased at a net average annual rate of 48, 75 and 33 kg ha~' year" 1 , respectively, for ages 4, 17 and 38. Nodule biomass was 8, 106 and 4 kg ha" 1 in the 4, 17 and 38-year-old stands, respectively.(7) These patterns of N accretion are similar to those reported for other woody nitrogen-fixing species on secondary successional sites. They indicate that peak N fixation occurred from early to intermediate stages of forest succession, and declined with later successional development.

Interactions between seedlings of the invasive treeAilanthus altissimaand the native treeRobinia pseudoacaciaunder low nutrient conditions

“…Ailanthus altissima is recognized as an invasive species with a novel weapon (allelochemicals) because of its negative effect on native species germination and growth, which can reduce plant diversity and forest succession after disturbance (Mergen 1959;Heisey 1990;Heisey 1996;Castro-Díez et al 2008;Gómez-Aparicio & Canham 2008). Robinia pseudoacacia is one of the most important nitrogen-fixing trees in the eastern forests of the USA, which facilitates forest succession (Boring & Swank 1984b). Also, R. pseudoacacia is used for restoring vegetation on post-disturbance sites due to its ability to increase soil nitrogen content (Von Holle et al 2006;Vlachodimos et al 2013).…”

Comparison of leaf decomposition and macroinvertebrate colonization between exotic and native trees in a freshwater ecosystem

“…It has colonized different areas, such us urban habitats, transportation corridors, borders of agricultural fields, riparian forests, and mesic and xeric woodlands (Kowarik and Saumel 2007;Swan et al 2008). R. pseudoacacia is native to North America (Boring and Swank 1984), and it is found in semi-arid environments, gardens, recreational areas, and disturbed riparian forests. Unlike A. altissima, R. pseudoacacia can fix atmospheric N, which can increase the rate of N input to soils and/or continental waters, altering litter decomposition processes (Royer et al 1999;Ehrenfeld 2003).…”

Effect of Climatic Conditions on Tree-Ring Widths in Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) in the city of Wrocław

“…Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) was one of the fi rst North American forest species introduced in Europe (Boring and Swank, 1984). Its natural range includes the eastern and central parts of the United States: the Appalachian Mountains, the Ozark Plateau and Ouachita Mountains (Feldhake, 2001;Call, 2002;Zajączkowski and Wojda, 2012).…”

“…The climate in the natural range of the black locust is distinctly different in terms of air temperature and (especially) precipitation in comparison with the climate of south-western Poland (Boring and Swank 1984, Dubicki et al, 2002;Feliksik et al, 2007;Kalbarczyk, 2010). For example, the average air temperature in January in the eastern and central parts of the United States ranges from about -4.0 °C to +7.0 °C, and in August from 18.0 to 27.0 °C (Boring and Swank, 1984). Wrocław averages from -9.0 °C to 4.2 °C and from 15.9 °C to 21.5 °C, respectively (Dubicki et al, 2002).…”