Skip to main content
Log in

Invasion mechanism of Spartina alterniflora by regulating soil sulfur and iron cycling and microbial composition in the Jiuduansha Wetland

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Spartina alterniflora, an invasive plant widely distributed in China’s coastal regions, has had a significant impact on the stability of wetland ecosystems and elemental biogeochemical cycles. The invasion of S. alterniflora has been found to lead to the accumulation of sulfides in the soil. The cycling of sulfur and iron in the soil is closely interconnected. Coastal estuarine wetlands are influenced by both freshwater in rivers and seawater tides, as well as the frequent variations in redox conditions caused by tidal fluctuations, which makes the cycling of sulfur and iron in the soil invaded by S. alterniflora more intricate. In this study, field surveys and laboratory experiments were conducted to explore the effects of S. alterniflora invasion and hydrological changes on the cycling of sulfur and iron as well as related functional microorganisms in the soil. The invasion of S. alterniflora showed an increase in soil reduced inorganic sulfur (RIS) components in both high and low marshes of Jiuduansha wetland, with higher content observed in summer and autumn. The tidal simulation experiments revealed abundant sulfate in seawater tidal conditions could promote the formation of acid volatile sulfides (AVS) in the soil of low marshes invaded by S. alterniflora and ensuring the continuous increase in AVS content. Diffusive gradients in-thin-films (DGT) technology indicated the existence of high-concentration soluble S2− enrichment zones in the soil of low marshes invaded by S. alterniflora, which may be related to S. alterniflora root exudates. Tidal action increased the relative abundance of sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the soil of low marshes, and under the influence of seawater tidal action, SRB exhibited higher relative abundance. However, S. alterniflora might inhibit the activity of iron-reducing bacteria (FeRB) in the soil of low marshes. In conclusion, S. alterniflora may enhance the sulfate reduction rate and promote the formation of free sulfides in tidal salt marsh ecosystems by releasing root exudates that stimulate the activity of SRB, while concurrently inhibiting the activity of FeRB and reducing their competition with SRB. This effect is particularly pronounced in low marshes under seawater tidal conditions. Thus, S. alterniflora is capable of rapidly invading tidal salt marshes by utilizing sulfides effectively.

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

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

Data Availability

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Additional files.

References

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China(41971055). Great thanks to the group who provided invaluable support while the samples were collected.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

Yuanhang Li: conceptualization, methodology, writing — original draft;

Jing Hua: investigation, methodology, writing — original draft, writing — review and editing;

Yanxiang Tao: investigation;

Chiquan He: writing — original draft, writing — review and editing, methodology, supervision.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chiquan He.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Alexandros Stefanakis

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The second author, Jing Hua, has made significant contributions to this study and has taken the lead role in revising the manuscript. Therefore, the authorship is changed to co-first authors.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, Y., Hua, J., Tao, Y. et al. Invasion mechanism of Spartina alterniflora by regulating soil sulfur and iron cycling and microbial composition in the Jiuduansha Wetland. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 14775–14790 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32118-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32118-2

Keywords

Navigation