Abstract
Invasion by Acacia longifolia alters soil characteristics and processes. The present study was conducted to determine if the changes in soil C and N pools and processes induced by A. longifolia persist after its removal, at the São Jacinto Dunes Nature Reserve (Portugal). Some areas had been invaded for a long time (>20 years) and others more recently (<10 years). For each type of invasion, (i.e., long-invaded and recently invaded), three treatments were used: (1) A. longifolia left intact; (2) A. longifolia was removed; and (3) both A. longifolia and litter layer were removed. Soil samples were collected once a year for four and half years and analysed for chemical and microbial properties. In general, microbial parameters responded faster than C and N pools. In long-invaded areas, two and half years after removal of plants and litter, basal respiration and microbial biomass had already decreased >30%, β-glucosaminidase activity (N mineralization index) >60% and potential nitrification >95%. Removal of plants and litter resulted in a >35% decrease in C and N content after four and half years. In recently invaded areas, β-glucosaminidase activity and potential nitrification showed a marked decrease (>54% and >95%, respectively) after removal of both A. longifolia and litter. Our results suggest that after removal of an N2-fixing invasive tree that changes ecosystem-level processes, it takes several years before soil nutrients and processes return to pre-invasion levels, but this legacy slowly diminish, suggesting that the susceptibility of native areas to (re)invasion is a function of the time elapsed since removal. Removal of the N-rich litter layer facilitates ecosystem recovery.
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Abbreviations
- LI:
-
Areas long-invaded by A. longifolia (>20 years)
- LIA:
-
Areas long-invaded where A. longifolia was left intact
- LIAR:
-
Areas long-invaded where only A. longifolia was removed
- LIALR:
-
Areas long-invaded where both A. longifolia and the litter layer were removed
- RI:
-
Areas recently invaded by A. longifolia (<10 years)
- RIA:
-
Areas recently invaded where A. longifolia was left intact
- RIAR:
-
Areas recently invaded where only A. longifolia was removed
- RIALR:
-
Areas recently invaded where both A. longifolia and the litter layer were removed
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Hélia Marchante, John Hoffmann, and Susana Echeverría for valuable discussions and checking of English grammar. Three anonymous reviewers provided helpful comments, which greatly improved a previous version of the manuscript. We are also grateful to Karin Vestberg for technical assistance. This research was supported by FCT-MCTES (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) and European fund FEDER, project POCTI/BSE/42335/2001 & POCI(PPCDT)/AMB/61387/2004. E.M. was supported by a FCT-MCTES grant.
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Marchante, E., Kjøller, A., Struwe, S. et al. Soil recovery after removal of the N2-fixing invasive Acacia longifolia: consequences for ecosystem restoration. Biol Invasions 11, 813–823 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-008-9295-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-008-9295-1