Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The distribution of a non-native (Rosa multiflora) and native (Kalmia latifolia) shrub in mature closed-canopy forests across soil fertility gradients

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background and aims

A soil fertility gradient, ranging from infertile to highly fertile soils, may define whether or not a plant will establish and spread at a site. We evaluated whether or not such a fertility gradient exists for Rosa multiflora Thunb., a nonnative invasive shrub, and Kalmia latifolia L., a native problem shrub, in closed-canopy forests of the eastern U.S.

Methods

We sampled soil and vegetation at the regional scale, along four randomly located 1-km transects in 70+ year-old undisturbed forests in each of three national forests in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. We also sampled soil, vegetation and leaf tissue at the local scale, from ten individual shrubs of each species in each national forest.

Results

Regional analyses showed a significant fertility gradient with Ohio being the most fertile and West Virginia the least. Soil fertility was associated with pH (most acidic in West Virginia and least acidic in Ohio) and elevation (highest in West Virginia and lowest in Ohio). At the local level, R. multiflora was associated with soil Ca:Al ratios greater than 0.5, and K. latifolia was associated with Ca:Al ratios less than 0.3. Rosa multiflora foliage contained higher concentrations of Ca, Mg, and K than K. latifolia, while K. latifolia foliage contained higher concentrations of Mn and Zn.

Conclusions

Our research documents the importance of soil fertility as a predictor of the establishment of invasive and expansive shrubs. This study further shows that R. multiflora can establish and spread across a broader range of soil conditions than K. latifolia.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

FIA:

Forest inventory and analysis

ICP-AES:

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy

NMS:

Nonmetric multidimensional scaling

UTM:

Universal transverse mercator coordinate system

References

  • Abrams MD, Ruffner CM (1995) Physiographic analysis of witness-tree distribution (1765–1798) and present forest cover through north central Pennsylvania. Can J Forest Res 25(4):659–668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adams MB, Angradi TR (1996) Decomposition and nutrient dynamics of hardwood leaf litter in the fernow whole-watershed acidification experiment. For Ecol Manag 83:61–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adams MB, Angradi TR, Kochenderfer JN (1997) Stream water and soil solution responses to 5 years of nitrogen and sulfur additions at the fernow experimental forest, West Virginia. For Ecol Manag 95:79–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashton IW, Hyatt LA, Howe KM, Gurevitch J, Lerdau MT (2005) Invasive species accelerate decomposition and litter nitrogen loss in a mixed deciduous forest. Ecol Appl 15(4):1263–1272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bailey SW, Horsley SB, Long RP (2005) Thirty years of change in forest soils of the Allegheny Plateau, Pennsylvania. Soil Science of America Journal 69:681–690

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Banasiak SE, Meiners SJ (2009) Long term dynamics of Rosa multiflora in a successional system. Biol Invasions 11:215–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beier CM, Horton JL, Walker JF, Clinton BD, Nilsen ET (2005) Carbon limitation leads to suppression of first year oak seedlings beneath evergreen understory shrubs in Southern Appalachian hardwood forests. Plant Ecol 176:131–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bloom RG, Mallik AU (2004) Indirect effects of black spruce (Picea mariana) cover on community structure and function in sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) dominated heath of eastern Canada. Plant Soil 265:279–293

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bloom RG, Mallik AU (2006) Relationships between ericaceous vegetation and soil nutrient status in a post-fire Kalmia angustifolia-black spruce chronosequence. Plant Soil 289:211–226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bockheim JG (1980) Solution and use of chronofunctions in studying soil development. Geoderma 24:71–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Boerner REJ, Kennedy Sutherland E (2003) Physiography, geology, and soil classification. In: Sutherland EK, Hutchinson TF (eds) Characteristics of mixed-oak forest ecosystems in Southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. General Technical Report NE-299. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Newtown Square pp 43–45

  • Boerner REJ, Sutherland EK (1997) The chemical characteristics of soil in control and experimentally thinned plots in mesic oak forests along a historical deposition gradient. Appl Soil Ecol 7:59–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boerner REJ, Morris SJ, Decker KLM, Hutchinson TF (2003) Soil and forest floor characteristics. In: Sutherland EK, Hutchinson TF (eds) Characteristics of mixed-oak forest ecosystems in Southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. General Technical Report NE-299. US. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Newtown Square, pp 47–55

  • Bolan NS, Hedley MJ, White RE (1991) Process of soil acidification during nitrogen cycling with emphasis on legume based pastures. Plant Soil 134:53–63

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bonito GM, Coleman DC, Haines BL, Cabrera ML (2003) Can nitrogen budgets explain differences in soil nitrogen mineralization rates of forest stands along an elevation gradient? For Ecol Manag 176:563–574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brose PH, Waldrop TA (2010) A dendrochronological analysis of a disturbance-succession model for oak-pine forests of the Appalachian Mountains. USA Can J For Res 40:1373–1385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chastain RA, Townsend PA (2008) Role of evergreen understory shrub layer in the forests of the central Appalachian Highlands. J Torr Bot Soc 135(2):208–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarkson RB (1966) The vascular flora of the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia. Castanea 31(1):1–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Core EL (1966) Vegetation of West Vegetation. McClain Printing Company, Parsons, pp 13–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Cronan CS, Grigal DF (1995) Use of Calcium/Aluminum ratios as indicators of stress in forest ecosystems. J Environ Qual 24:209–226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Damman AWH (1971) Effect of vegetation changes on the fertility of a Newfoundland forest site. Ecol Monogr 41(3):253–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demchik MC, Sharpe WE (2000) The effect of soil nutrition, soil acidity and drought on northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) growth and nutrition on Pennsylvania sites with high and low red oak mortality. For Ecol Manag 136:199–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Derr JF (1992) Low management crops and areas: multiflora rose and its control in pastures. Publication-Virginia Cooperative Extension Service 456–017:208–209

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietzel KA, Rao R (2009) Predictors of lime needs for pH and aluminum management of New York agricultural soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 73(2):443–448

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Drohan PJ, Stout SL, Petersen GW (2002) Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) decline during 1979–1989 in northern Pennsylvania. For Ecol Manag 170:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drury CF, McKenney DJ, Findlay WI (1991) Relationships between denitrification, microbial biomass and indigenous soil properties. Soil Biol Biochem 23(8):751–755

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dufrêne M, Legendre P (1997) Species assemblages and indicator species: the need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecol Mon 67(3):345–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Dugan RF (1960) Multiflora rose in West Virginia. W. Va. Agric. Exp Stn Bull 447:5–32

  • Ehrenfeld JG (2003) Effects of exotic plant invasions on soil nutrient cycling processes. Ecosystems 6:503–523

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ehrenfeld JG, Ravit B, Elgersma K (2005) Feedback in the plant-soil system. Ann Rev Env Resour 30:75–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Epstein AH, Hill JH (1998) Status of rose rosette disease as a biological control of multiflora rose. Plant Dis 83(2):92–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foy CD, Chaney RL, White MC (1978) The physiology of metal toxicity in plants. Ann Rev Plant Physio 29:511–566

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garten CT Jr (2004) Potential net soil N mineralization and decomposition of glycine-13C in forest soils along an elevation gradient. Soil Biol Biochem 36:1491–1496

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gégout J-C, Hervé J-C, Houllier F, Pierrat J-C (2003) Prediction of forest soil nutrient status using vegetation. J Veg Sci 14:55–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert B, Lechowicz MJ (2005) Invasibility and abiotic gradients: the positive correlation between native and exotic plant diversity. Ecology 86(7):1848–1855

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilliam FS, Adams MB, Yurish BM (1996) Ecosystem nutrient responses to chronic nitrogen inputs at fernow experimental forest, West Virginia. Can J Forest Res 26:196–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gleason HA, Cronquist A (1993) Manual of vascular plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada, 2nd edn. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg CH, Crownover SH, Gordon DR (1997) Roadside soils: a corridor for invasion of xeric scrub by nonindigenous plants. Nat Areas J 17(2):99–109

    Google Scholar 

  • Grime JP (1977) Evidence for the existence of three primary strategies in plants and its relevance to ecological and evolutionary theory. Am Nat 111(982):1169–1194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurevitch J, Howard TG, Ashton IW, Leger EA, Howe KM, Woo E, Lerdau M (2008) Effects of experimental manipulation of light and nutrients on establishment of seedlings of native and invasive woody species in Long Island, NY forests. Biol Invasions 10:821–831

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton JR, Litwin PJ, Tryon EH (1978) A note on the influence of soil parent material on Northern red oak specific gravity. Wood and Fiber 10(1):2–5

    Google Scholar 

  • Heilman P (1974) Effect of urea fertilization on nitrification in forest soils of the Pacific Northwest. Soil Sci Soc Am Proc 38:664–667

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Horsley SB, Long RP, Bailey SW, Hallett RA, Wargo PM (2002) Health of Eastern North American sugar maple forests and factors affecting decline. North J Appl For 19(1):34–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Horsley SB, Bailey SW, Ristau TE, Long RP, Hallett RA (2008) Linking environmental gradients, species composition, and vegetation indicators of sugar maple health in the northeastern United States. Can J Forest Res 38:1761–1774

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huebner CD (2003) Vulnerability of oak-dominated forests in West Virginia to invasive exotic plants: temporal and spatial patterns of nine exotic species using herbarium records and land classification data. Castanea 1–14

  • Huebner CD, Tobin PC (2006) Invasibility of mature and 15-year-old deciduous forests by exotic plants. Plant Ecol 186(1):57–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huebner CD, Vankat JL (2003) The importance of environment vs. disturbance in the vegetation mosaic of central Arizona. J Veg Sci 14(1):25–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ITIS (2012) Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.ITIS.gov. Accessed 24 Aug 2012

  • Kaeser MJ, Gould PJ, McDill ME, Steiner KC, Finley JC (2008) Classifying patterns of understory vegetation in mixed-oak forests in two ecoregions of Pennsylvania. North J Appl For 25(1):38–44

    Google Scholar 

  • King CC (1979) Hill country. In: Lafferty MB (ed). Ohio's natural heritage. Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus, OH, pp 160–181

  • Knoepp JD, Swank WT (1998) Rates of nitrogen mineralization across an elevation and vegetation gradient in the southern Appalachians. Plant Soil 204:235–241

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kraus TEC, Zasoski RJ, Dahlgren RA (2004) Fertility and pH effects on polyphenol and condensed tannin concentrations in foliage and roots. Plant Soil 262:95–109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Krishnapillai M (2009) Use of plastic mulch for Kalmia angustifolia (sheep laurel) weed control. CSBE/SCGAB 2009 Annual Conference Rodd’s Brudenell River Resort, Prince Edward Island July 12–15, 2009. pp. 1–7. The Canadian Society for Bioengineering. Paper No. CSBE09-606

  • Kronberg BI, Nesbitt HW (1981) Quantification of weathering, soil geochemistry and soil fertility. J Soil Sci 32:453–459

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Krug EC, Frink CR (1983) Acid rain on acid soil: a new perspective. Science 221:520–525

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lipscomb MV, Nilsen ET (1990) Environmental and physiological factors influencing the natural distribution of evergreen and deciduous ericaceous shrubs on northeast- and southwest-facing slopes of the southern Appalachian Mountains II. Water relations. Am J Bot 77(4):517–526

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lungren MR, Small CJ, Dreyer GD (2004) Influence of land use and site characteristics on invasive plant abundance in the Quinebaug Highlands of Southern New England. Northeastern Nat 11(3):313–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mallik AU (2001) Black spruce growth and understory species diversity with and without sheep laurel. Agron J 93:92–98

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marage D, Gégout J-C (2009) Importance of soil nutrients in the distribution of forest communities on a large geographical scale. Global Ecology and Biogeography 18:88–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marschner H (1995) Mineral nutrition of higher plants. Academic, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Matysiak B (2005) The effect of water quality and calcium content in the medium on growth and mineral nutrient state of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia L.) and select cultivars of rhododendron (Rhododendron L.). Zeszyty Problemowe Postepow Nauk Rolniczych 504: 461–469. Article in Polish; abstract in English

  • McDonald RI, Motzkin G, Foster DR (2008) Assessing the influence of historical factors, contemporary processes, and environmental conditions on the distribution of invasive species. J Torr Bot Soc 135(2):260–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGinty DT (1972) The ecological roles of Kalmia latifolia L. and Rhododendron maximum L. in the hardwood forest at Coweeta. University of Georgia. 81 p (MS thesis)

  • McNulty SG, Cohen EC, Moore Myers JA, Sullivan TJ, Li H (2007) Estimates of critical acid loads and exceedances for forest soils across the conterminous United States. Environmental Pollution 149:281–292

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meiners SJ, Rye TA, Klass JR (2008) On a level field: the utility of studying native and non-native species in successional systems. Appl Veg Sci 12:45–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monk CD, McGinty DT, Day FP Jr (1985) The ecological importance of Kalmia latifolia and Rhododendron maximum in the deciduous forest of the southern Appalachians. Bull Torrey Bot Club 112(2):187–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moroni MT, Thiffault N, Titus BD, Mante C, Makeschin F (2009) Controlling Kalmia and reestablishing conifer dominance enhances soil fertility indicators in central Newfoundland, Canada. Can J Forest Res 39:1270–1279

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • NOAA (2008) National Climatic Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2008/ann/ann08.html. Accessed 3 Oct 2009

  • Northup RR, Dahlgren RA, Yu Z (1995) Intraspecific variation of conifer phenolic concentration on a marine terrace soil acidity gradient; a new interpretation. Plant Soil 171:255–262

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Northup RR, Dahlgren RA, McColl JG (1998) Polyphenols as regulators of plant-litter-soil interactions in northern California’s pygmy forest: a positive feedback? Biogeochemistry 42:189–220

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nyatsanga T, Pierre WH (1973) Effect of nitrogen fixation by legumes on soil acidity. Agron J 65:936–940

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peppler-Lisbach C, Kleyer M (2009) Patterns of species richness and turnover along the pH gradient in deciduous forests: testing the continuum hypothesis. J Veg Sci 20:984–995

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pyle RE, Beverage WW, Yoakum T, Amick DP, Hatfield WF, McKinney DE (1982) Soil survey of Randolph County area, main part, West Virginia. USDA Soil Conservation Service, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Pyšek P, Richardson DM, Rejmanek M, Webster GL, Williamson M, Kirschner J (2004) Alien plants in checklists and floras: towards better communication between taxonomists and ecologists. Taxon 53(1):131–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rascio N, Navari-Izzo F (2011) Heavy metal hyperaccumulating plants: How and why do they do it? And what makes them so interesting? Plant Sci 180:169–181

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Richarson DM, Pyšek P, Rejmánek M, Barbour MG, Panetta FD, West CJ (2000) Naturalization and invasion of alien plants: concepts and definitions. Div Distrib 6:93–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Royo AA, Knight KS (2012) White ash (Fraxinus americana) decline and mortality: the role of site nutrition and stress history. For Ecol Manag 286:8–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaffers A, Sýkora KV (2000) Reliability of Ellenberg indicator values for moisture, nitrogen and soil reaction: a comparison with field measurements. J Veg Sci 11:225–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schoenholtz SH, Van Miegroet H, Burger JA (2000) A review of chemical and physical properties as indicators of forest soil quality: challenges and opportunities. For Ecol Manag 138:335–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutherland EK, Hutchinson TF, Yaussy DA (2003) Introduction, study area description, and experimental design. In: Sutherland EK, Hutchinson TF (eds) Characteristics of mixed-oak forest ecosystems in Southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. General Technical Report NE-299. US. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Newtown Square, PA pp 47–55

  • Taylor DR, Aarssen LW, Loehle C (1990) On the relationship between r/K selection and environmental carrying capacity: a new habitat templet for plant life history strategies. Oikos 58:239–250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas WA, Grigal DF (1976) Phosphorus conservation by evergreeness of mountain laurel. Oikos 27:19–26

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Unger M, Leuschner C, Homeier J (2010) Variability of indices of macronutrient availability in soils at different spatial scales along an elevation transect in tropical moist forests (NE Ecuador). Plant Soil 336:443–458

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Miegroet H, Johnson DW, Cole DW (1990) Soil nitrification as affected by N fertility and changes in forest floor C/N ratio in four forest soils. Can J Forest Res 20:1012–1019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek P (1982) Nutrient cycling and nutrient use efficiency. The Am Nat 119(4):553–572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Von Holle B, Motzkin G (2007) Historical land use and environmental determinants of nonnative plant distribution in coastal southern New England. Biol Conserv 136:33–43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolt JD (1990) Effects of acidic deposition on the chemical form and bioavailability of soil aluminum and manganese. In: Lucier AA, Haines SG (eds) Mechanisms of forest response to acidic deposition. Spring-Verlag, New York, pp 62–107

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by a 2-year Forest Health Monitoring—Evaluation Monitoring Grant, Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, USDA Forest Service. We thank M. B. Adams, E. Allen, C. Moser, and three anonymous reviewers for their feedback. We also thank M. Ort and C. Coon for aid in site selection of sites in Ohio as well as H. Smith, L. Strickler, A. Gilbert, J. Quinn, E. Overton, M. Akers, and P. Green for their assistance in field sampling and data entry.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 180 Canfield St., Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA

    Cynthia D. Huebner

  2. State and Private Forestry, USDA Forest Service, 11 Campus Blvd. Ste 200, Newtown Square, PA, 19073, USA

    Jim Steinman

  3. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 359 Main Rd, Delaware, OH, 43015, USA

    Todd F. Hutchinson

  4. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 267, Irvine, PA, 16329, USA

    Todd E. Ristau & Alejandro A. Royo

Authors
  1. Cynthia D. Huebner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jim Steinman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Todd F. Hutchinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Todd E. Ristau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Alejandro A. Royo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cynthia D. Huebner.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Jeffrey Walck.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Huebner, C.D., Steinman, J., Hutchinson, T.F. et al. The distribution of a non-native (Rosa multiflora) and native (Kalmia latifolia) shrub in mature closed-canopy forests across soil fertility gradients. Plant Soil 377, 259–276 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-2000-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-2000-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation