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

Plant and Soil volume 377, pages 259–276 (2014)Cite this article

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.

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Abbreviations

FIA:

Forest inventory and analysis

ICP-AES:

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy

NMS:

Nonmetric multidimensional scaling

UTM:

Universal transverse mercator coordinate system

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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.

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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
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  2. Jim Steinman
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  3. Todd F. Hutchinson
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  4. Todd E. Ristau
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  5. Alejandro A. Royo
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Correspondence to Cynthia D. Huebner.

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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

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Keywords

  • Invasive nonnative plant
  • Expansive native plant
  • Kalmia latifolia
  • Rosa multiflora
  • Soil fertility gradient