Abstract
Cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.), and other non-native agronomic legumes, are used extensively for forage in North America, but, despite their abundance, few studies have examined their effects when they colonize native grasslands. Cicer milkvetch provides excellent forage for livestock, but given its large size and ability to fix nitrogen, it is likely to affect other ecosystem services provided by grasslands. We have observed cicer milkvetch in the dry mixed-grass prairie of southern Alberta, Canada. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of cicer milkvetch on forage production, carbon storage and plant community diversity after it colonizes native mixed prairie grasslands and further examine whether these effects increase with cicer milkvetch patch size. We compared the ecosystem functions among plots located within a cicer milkvetch patch, beside a patch and 5 m distant from the patch. The plant, as expected has positive effects on forage quantity and quality, reduced plant species diversity and richness, and altered numerous components of the carbon pool, as well as nitrogen availability. Furthermore, larger patches of cicer milkvetch had lower concentrations of soil carbon and nitrogen, and differentially affected other ecosystem properties. Given the potentially large propagule pressure of non-native legumes from agricultural lands, surrounding native grasslands in North America, and our results demonstrating effects on multiple grassland ecosystem services, further consideration and investigation of non-native legumes in grasslands is warranted.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acharya SN (2009) Veldt cicer milkvetch. Can J Plant Sci 89:511–513. https://doi.org/10.4141/CJPS08155
Acharya SN, Kastelic JP, Beauchemin KA, Messenger DF (2006) A review of research progress on cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.). Can J Plant Sci 86:49–62. https://doi.org/10.4141/P04-174
Adams WA (1973) The effect of organic matter on the bulk and true densities of some uncultivated podzolic soils. J Soil Sci 24:10–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.1973.tb00737.x
Aniszewki T (2010) Canopy behavior of three milkvetch (Astragalus) species in acclimation to a new habitata. Acta Biol Cracoviensia Ser Bot 52:45–54
Bachmann D, Roscher C, Buchmann N (2018) How do leaf trait values change spatially and temporally with light availability in a grassland diversity experiment? Oikos 127:935–948. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.04533
Chen S, Wang W, Xu W, Wang Y, Wan H, Chen D, Tang Z, Tang X, Zhou G, Xie Z, Zhou D, Shangguan Z, Huang J, He J, Wang Y, Sheng J, Tang L, Li X, Dong M, Wu Y, Wang Q, Wang Z, Wu J, Chapin FS, Bai Y (2018) Plant diversity enhances productivity and soil carbon storage. PNAS 115:4027–4032
Conant RT, Paustian K (2002) Potential soil carbon sequestration in overgrazed grassland ecosystems. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 16:9. https://doi.org/10.1029/2001GB001661
Crews TE, Peoples MB (2004) Legume versus fertilizer sources of nitrogen: ecological tradeoffs and human needs. Agric Ecosyst Environ 102:279–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2003.09.018
Davis AM (1982) Nitrogen production by selected Astragalus species 1. Agron J 74:454–456. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj1982.00021962007400030014x
Eckberg J, Johnson G, Seefeldt L, Felton A, Casler M, Shaw R (2018) Competitive effects of cultivar and wild switchgrass on other native grasses. Biol Invasions 20:2439–2449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1711-6
Fay PA, Prober SM, Harpole WS, Knops JMH, Bakker JD, Borer ET, Lind EM, MacDougall AS, Seabloom EW, Wragg PD, Adler PB, Blumenthal DM, Buckley YM, Chu C, Cleland EE, Collins SL, Davies KF, Du G, Feng X, Firn J, Gruner DS, Hagenah N, Hautier Y, Heckman RW, Jin VL, Kirkman KP, Klein J, Ladwig LM, Li Q, McCulley RL, Melbourne BA, Mitchell CE, Moore JL, Morgan JW, Risch AC, Schütz M, Stevens CJ, Wedin DA, Yang LH (2015) Grassland productivity limited by multiple nutrients. Nat Plants 1:15080. https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2015.80
Fornara DA, Tilman D (2008) Plant functional composition influences rates of soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation. J Ecol 96:314–322. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2007.01345.x
Fraser LH, Carlyle CN (2011) Is spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L.) patch size related to the effect on soil and vegetation properties? Plant Ecol 212:975–983. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-010-9878-7
Gabrielsen BC, Smith DH, Townsend CE (1985) Cicer milkvetch and alfalfa as influenced by two cutting schedules 1. Agron J 77:416–422. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj1985.00021962007700030015x
Gordon DR (1998) Effects of invasive, non-indigenous plant species on ecosystem processes: lessons from Florida. Ecol Appl 8:975–989. https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(1998)008[0975:EOINIP]2.0.CO;2
Graham PH, Vance CP (2003) Legumes: importance and constraints to greater use. Plant Physiol 131:872–877
Johnson DA, Rumbaugh MD, Asay KH (1981) Plant improvement for semi-arid rangelands: possibilities for drought resistance and nitrogen fixation. Plant Soil 58:279–303. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02180057
Jones DB (1931) Factors for converting percentages of nitrogen in foods and feeds into percentages of proteins. U.S. Dept. Agric., Circular
Lake JC, Leishman MR (2004) Invasion success of exotic plants in natural ecosystems: the role of disturbance, plant attributes and freedom from herbivores. Biol Conserv 2:215–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(03)00294-5
Lal R (2002) Soil carbon dynamics in cropland and rangeland. Environ Pollut 116:353–362
Lockwood JL, Cassey P, Blackburn T (2005) The role of propagule pressure in explaining species invasions. Trends Ecol Evol (Amst) 20:223–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2005.02.004
Mariotti F, Tomé D, Mirand PP (2008) Converting nitrogen into protein—beyond 6.25 and Jones’ factors. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 48:177–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408390701279749
Mulder C, Jumpponen A, Högberg P, Huss-Danell K (2002) How plant diversity and legumes affect nitrogen dynamics in experimental grassland communities. Oecologia 133:412–421. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-002-1043-0
Nelson E, Mendoza G, Regetz J, Polasky S, Tallis H, Cameron DR, Chan KMA, Daily GC, Goldstein J, Kareiva PM, Lonsdorf E, Naidoo R, Ricketts TH, Shaw MR (2009) Modeling multiple ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, commodity production, and tradeoffs at landscape scales. Front Ecol Environ 7:4–11. https://doi.org/10.1890/080023
Nyfeler D, Huguenin-Elie O, Suter M, Frossard E, Lüscher A (2011) Grass–legume mixtures can yield more nitrogen than legume pure stands due to mutual stimulation of nitrogen uptake from symbiotic and non-symbiotic sources. Agric Ecosyst Environ 140:155–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2010.11.022
Oksanen J, Blanchet FG, Friendly M, Kindt R, Legenddre P, McGlinn D, Minchin PR, O’Hara RB, Simpson GL, Solymos P, Stevens MHH, Szoecz E, Wagner H (2017) Vegan: community ecology package
Page-Dumroese DS, Brown RE, Jurgensen MF, Mroz GD (1999) Comparison of methods for determining bulk densities of rocky forest soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 63:379–383. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1999.03615995006300020016x
Peoples MB, Craswell ET (1992) Biological nitrogen fixation: investments, expectations and actual contributions to agriculture. Plant Soil 141:13–39
Pinheiro J, Bates D, DebRoy S, Sarkar D, R Core Team (2018) _nlme: linear and nonlinear mixed effects models R package version 3.1-137. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=nlme
Posler GL, Lenssen AW, Fine GL (1993) Forage yield, quality, compatibility, and persistence of warm-season grass—legume mixtures. Agron J 85:554–560. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj1993.00021962008500030007x
R Core Team (2013) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org/
Saggar S, Jha N, Deslippe J, Bolan NS, Luo J, Giltrap DL, Kim D-, Zaman M, Tillman RW (2013) Denitrification and N2O:N2 production in temperate grasslands: processes, measurements, modelling and mitigating negative impacts. Sci Total Environ 465:173–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.11.050
Scasta JD, Engle DM, Fuhlendorf SD, Redfearn DD, Bidwell TG (2015) Meta-analysis of exotic forages as invasive plants in complex multi-functioning landscapes. Invasive Plant Sci Manag 8:292–306
Scherer-Lorenzen M (2008) Functional diversity affects decomposition processes in experimental grasslands. Funct Ecol 22:547–555. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2008.01389.x
Smith B, Wilson JB (1996) A consumer’s guide to evenness indices. Oikos 76:70–82. https://doi.org/10.2307/3545749
Smoliak S, Hanna MR (1977) seedling competition of some forage legumes in mono. And mixed culture under greenhouse conditions. Can J Plant Sci 57:897–903
Temperton VM, Mwangi PN, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schmid B, Buchmann N (2007) Positive interactions between nitrogen-fixing legumes and four different neighbouring species in a biodiversity experiment. Oecologia 151:190–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-006-0576-z
Townsend CE (1993) Breeding, physiology, culture, and utilization of cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.). Adv Agron 49:253–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2113(08)60796-8
Vitousek PM, Aber JD, Howarth RW, Likens GE, Matson PA, Schindler DW, Schlesinger WH, Tilman DG (1997) Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: sources and consequences. Ecol Appl 7:737–750. https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(1997)007%5b0737:HAOTGN%5d2.0.CO;2
Wallace KJ (2007) Classification of ecosystem services: problems and solutions. Biol Conserv 139:235–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2007.07.015
Willms WD, Acharya SN, Rode LM (1995) Feasibility of using cattle to disperse cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer L.) seeds in pastures. Can J Animal Sci 75:173–175
Zhang D, Hui D, Luo Y, Zhou G (2008) Rates of litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems: global patterns and controlling factors. J Plant Ecol 1:85–93. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtn002
Acknowledgements
We thank Edwin and Ruth Mattheis for supporting long-term research by donating the Mattheis Research Ranch to the University of Alberta. This project was funded by the University of Alberta’s Rangeland Research Institute, the University of Alberta and the Mr. Neil Harvie Summer Research Award in the Area of Beef or Range Management. Two anonymous reviewers provided comments that improved this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Le, K.D., Carlyle, C.N. A non-native agronomic legume (Astragalus cicer L.) alters multiple ecosystem-services in mixed prairie grassland. Biol Invasions 21, 935–946 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1871-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1871-4