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Decoupling litter barrier and soil moisture influences on the establishment of an invasive grass

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Abstract

Background and aims

Through recruitment, plants establish in novel environments. Recruitment also is the stage where plants undergo the highest mortality. We investigate the recruitment niche for Microstegium vimineum, an annual grass from East Asia spreading throughout eastern North American forests.

Methods

Current observational and greenhouse research indicates that M. vimineum recruitment may be inhibited by leaf litter and promoted by soil moisture; we use field studies to experimentally test how these factors influence M. vimineum germination, seedling survival and reproduction. Specifically, we introduce M. vimineum seeds into forest microhabitats with experimentally varied levels of soil moisture and leaf litter.

Results

Soil moisture increases M. vimineum germination regardless of leaf litter thickness and ameliorates seedling mortality in deep leaf litter. Seed production per m2 increases with watering, reflecting higher germination and survival, whereas per capita seed production increases with leaf litter thickness, reflecting density-dependent limits on seed production.

Conclusions

The interactive effects of varied levels of soil moisture and leaf litter thickness on key M. vimineum life history stages highlight the need to consider multiple drivers, such as rainfall and local forest disturbance, when assessing how soil properties influence the establishment of invasive plants.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by National Science Foundation grants DEB-0823293 and DEB-0218001 to the Coweeta LTER Program. We appreciate input from two anonymous reviewers that improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY, 14222, USA

    Robert J. Warren II

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, 45435, USA

    Volker Bahn

  3. School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA

    Robert J. Warren II & Mark A. Bradford

Authors
  1. Robert J. Warren II
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  2. Volker Bahn
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  3. Mark A. Bradford
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Correspondence to Robert J. Warren II.

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Responsible Editor: T. Kalapos.

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AIC values (and ΔAIC) for random effects (blockl, diffuse light, temperature and soil moisture) in generalized linear mixed models. (XLSX 12 kb)

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Warren, R.J., Bahn, V. & Bradford, M.A. Decoupling litter barrier and soil moisture influences on the establishment of an invasive grass. Plant Soil 367, 339–346 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1477-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1477-z

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