Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Aboveground productivity and root–shoot allocation differ between native and introduced grass species

  • Community Ecology
  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Plant species in grasslands are often separated into groups (C4 and C3 grasses, and forbs) with presumed links to ecosystem functioning. Each of these in turn can be separated into native and introduced (i.e., exotic) species. Although numerous studies have compared plant traits between the traditional groups of grasses and forbs, fewer have compared native versus introduced species. Introduced grass species, which were often introduced to prevent erosion or to improve grazing opportunities, have become common or even dominant species in grasslands. By virtue of their abundances, introduced species may alter ecosystems if they differ from natives in growth and allocation patterns. Introduced grasses were probably selected nonrandomly from the source population for forage (aboveground) productivity. Based on this expectation, aboveground production is predicted to be greater and root mass fraction to be smaller in introduced than native species. We compared root and shoot distribution and tissue quality between introduced and native C4 grass species in the Blackland Prairie region of Central Texas, USA, and then compared differences to the more well-studied divergence between C4 grasses and forbs. Comparisons were made in experimental monocultures planted with equal-sized transplants on a common soil type and at the same density. Aboveground productivity and C:N ratios were higher, on average, in native grasses than in native forbs, as expected. Native and introduced grasses had comparable amounts of shallow root biomass and tissue C:N ratios. However, aboveground productivity and total N were lower and deep root biomass and root mass fraction were greater in native than introduced grasses. These differences in average biomass distribution and N could be important to ecosystems in cases where native and introduced grasses have been exchanged. Our results indicate that native–introduced status may be important when interpreting species effects on grassland processes like productivity and plant N accumulation.

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. 1a–b
Fig. 2a–b
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson VJ, Briske DD (1999) Herbivore-induced species replacement in grasslands: is it driven by herbivore tolerance or avoidance? Ecol Appl 5:1014–1024

    Google Scholar 

  • Baruch Z, Goldstein G (1999) Leaf construction cost, nutrient concentration, and net CO2 assimilation of native and invasive species in Hawaii. Oecologia 121:183–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bolton H, Smith JL, Link SO (1993) Soil microbial biomass and activity of a disturbed and undisturbed shrub–steppe ecosystem. Soil Sci Soc Am J 54:887–891

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell M, Richards JH, Johnson DA, Nowak RS, Dzurec RS (1981) Coping with herbivory: photosynthetic capacity and resource allocation in two semiarid Agropyron bunchgrasses. Oecologia 50:14–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Callaway RM, Aschehoug ET (2000) Invasive plants versus their new and old neighbors: a mechanism for exotic invasion. Science 290:521–523

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Callaway JC, Josselyn MN (1992) The introduction and spread of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) in South San Francisco Bay. Estuaries 15:218–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Callaway RM, Thelon GC, Rodriguez A, Holben WE (2004) Soil biota and exotic plant invasion. Nature 427:731–733

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chapin FS III, Reynolds HL, D’Antonio CM, Eckhart VM (1996) The functional role of species in terrestrial ecosystems. In: Walker BH, Steffen WL (eds) Global change and terrestrial ecosystems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

  • Christian JM, Wilson SD (1999) Long-term ecosystem impacts of an introduced grass in the northern great plains. Ecology 80:2397–2407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Correll DS, Johnston MC (1979) Manual of the vascular plants of Texas. University of Texas, Dallas, TX

  • Craine JM, Lee WG (2003) Covariation in leaf and root traits for native and non-native grasses along an altitudinal gradient in New Zealand. Oecologia 134:471–478

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cully AC, Cully JF Jr, Hiebert RD (2003) Invasion of exotic plant species in tallgrass prairie fragments. Conserv Biol 17:990–998

    Google Scholar 

  • D’Antonio CM, Hobbie SE (2005) Plant species effects on ecosystem processes: insights from invasive species. In: Sax DF, Stachowicz JJ, Gaines SD (eds) Species invasions: insights into ecology, evolution and biogeography. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, MA, pp 65–85

  • D’Antonio CM, Vitousek PM (1992) Biological invasions by exotic grasses, the grass/fire cycle and global change. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 23:63–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Daehler CC (2003) Performance comparisons of co-occurring native and alien invasive plants: implications for conservation and restoration. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 34:183–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diggs GM Jr, Lipscomb BL, O’Kennon RJ (1999) Shinners and Mahler’s illustrated flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, TX

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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ehrenfeld JG, Kourtev P, Huang W (2001) Changes in soil functions following invasions of exotic understory plants in deciduous forests. Ecol Appl 11:1287–1301

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans RD, Rimer R, Sperry L, Belnap J (2001) Exotic plant invasion alters nitrogen dynamics in an arid grassland. Ecol Appl 11:1301–1311

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher MJ, Rao IM, Ayarza MA, Lascano CE, Sanz JI, Thomas RJ, Vera RR (1994) Carbon storage by introduced deep-rooted grasses in the South American savannas. Nature 371:236–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill RA, Burke IC (2002) Influence of soil depth on the decomposition of Bouteloua gracilis roots in the shortgrass steppe. Plant Soil 241:233–242

    Google Scholar 

  • Gill R, Burke IC, Milchunas DG, Lauenroth WK (1999) Relationship between root biomass and soil organic matter pools in the shortgrass steppe of eastern Colorado. Ecosystems 2:226–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatch SL, Pluhar J (1993) Texas range plants. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX

  • Holmes TH, Rice KJ (1996) Patterns of growth and soil–water utilization in some exotic annuals and native perennial bunchgrasses of California. Ann Bot 78:233–243

    Google Scholar 

  • Hooper ER, Legendre P, Condit R (2004) Factors affecting community composition of forest regeneration in deforested, abandoned land in Panama. Ecology 85:3313–3326

    Google Scholar 

  • Hooper DU, Chapin FS III, Ewel JJ, Hector A, Inchausti P, Lavorel S, Lawton JH, Lodge DM, Loreau M, Naeem S, Schmid B, Setälä H, Symstad AJ, Vandermeer J, Wardle DA (2005) Effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning: a consensus of current knowledge. Ecol Monogr 75:3–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson RB, Canadell J, Ehleringer JR, Mooney HA, Sala OE, Schulze ED (1996) A global analysis of root distributions for terrestrial biomes. Oecologia 108:389–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levine JM, D’Antonio CM (1999) Elton revisited: a review of evidence linking diversity and invasibility. Oikos 87:15–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Littell RC, Stroup WW, Freund RJ (2002) SAS for linear models, 4th edn. SAS Institute, Cary, NC

  • Loreti J, Osterheld M, Sala O (2001) Lack of intraspecific variation in resistance to defoliation in a grass that evolved under light grazing pressure. Plant Ecol 157:195–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCulley RL, Jobbáágy EG, Pockman WT, Jackson RB (2004) Nutrient uptake as a contributing explanation for deep rooting in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Oecologia 141:620–628

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDougal AS, Turkington R (2005) Are invasive species the drivers or passengers of change in degraded systems? Ecology 86:42–56

    Google Scholar 

  • McNaughton SJ (1983) Serengeti grassland ecology: the role of composite environmental factors and contingency in community organization. Ecology 53:291–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Nepstad DC, Decarvalho CR, Davidson EA, Jipp PH, Lefebrvre PA, Negreiros GH, Dasilva ED, Stone TA, Trumbore SE, Viera S (1994) The role of deep roots in the hydrological and carbon cycles of amazonian forests and pastures. Nature 372:666–669

    Google Scholar 

  • Neter J, Kutner MH, Nachtsheim CJ, Wasserman W (1996) Applied linear statistical methods, 4th edn. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, Chicago, IL

  • Olden JD, Poff NL (2003) Toward a mechanistic understanding and prediction of biotic homogenization. Am Nat 162:442–460

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Platt WJ, Gottschalk RM (2001) Effects of exotic grasses on potential fire fuel loads in the groundcover of south Florida slash pine savannas. Int J Wildland Fire 10:155–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polley HW, Johnson HB, Derner JD (2002) Soil and plant-water dynamics in a C3/C4 grassland exposed to a subambient to superambient CO2 gradient. Glob Change Biol 8:1118–1129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polley HW, Wilsey BJ, Derner JD (2003) Do plant species evenness and plant density influence the magnitude of selection and complementarity effects in annual plant species mixtures? Ecol Lett 6:248–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pyke D (1990) Comparative demography of co-occurring introduced and native tussock grasses: persistence and potential expansion. Oecologia 82:537–543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed HE, Seastedt TR, Blair JM (2005) Ecological consequences of C4 grass invasion of a C4 grassland: a dilemma for management. Ecol Appl 15:1560–1570

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards J (1984) Root growth response to defoliation in two Agropyron bunchgrasses: field observations with an improved periscope. Oecologia 64:21–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Risser PG, Birney EC, Blocker HD, May SW, Parton WJ, Wiens JA (1981) The true prairie ecosystem (US/IBP Synthesis Series 16). Hutchison Ross Publishing, Stroudsberg, PA

  • Rutherford MC, Pressinger FM, Musil CF (1986) Standing crops, growth rates and resource use efficiency in alien plant invaded ecosystems. In: Macdonald IAW, Kruger FJ, Ferrar AA (eds) The ecology and management of biological invasions in southern Africa. Oxford University Press, Cape Town, pp 189–98

  • Schenk HJ, Jackson RB (2002) Rooting depths, lateral root spreads and below-ground/above-ground allometries of plants in water-limited ecosystems. J Ecol 90:480–494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seabloom EW, Borer ET, Boucher VL, Burton RS, Cottingham KL, Goldwasser L, Gram WK, Kendall BE, Micheli F (2003) Competition, seed limitation, disturbance, and reestablishment of California native annual forbs. Ecol Appl 13:575–592

    Google Scholar 

  • Simoes M, Baruch Z (1991) Responses to simulated herbivory and water stress in two tropical C4 grasses. Oecologia 88:173–180

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sims PL, Dewald CL (1982) Old World bluestems and their forage potential for the southern Great Plains: a review of early studies. ARM-S−28, USDA, New Orleans, LA

  • Smith MD, Knapp AK (2001) Physiological and morphological traits of exotic, invasive exotic, and native plant species in tallgrass prairie. Int J Plant Sci 162:785–792

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soriano A (1991) Río de la plata grasslands. In: Coupland RT (eds) Ecosystems of the world 8A. Elsevier, Amsterdam

  • Stevens J (1986) Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences, 3rd edn. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah

  • Tjoelker MG, Craine JM, Wedin D, Reich PB, Tilman D (2005) Linking leaf and root trait syndromes among 39 grassland and savannah species. New Phytol 167:493–508

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Versfeld DB, van Wilgren BS (1986) Impact of woody aliens on ecosystem properties. In: Macdonald IAW, Kruger FJ, Ferrar AA (eds) The ecology and management of biological invasions in southern Africa. Oxford University Press, Cape Town, pp 239–246

  • Vilà M, Weiner J (2004) Are invasive plant species better competitors than native plant species?—evidence from pair-wise experiments. Oikos 105:229–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek P (1990) Biological invasions and ecosystem process—towards an integration of population biology and ecosystem studies. Oikos 57:7–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek P (1994) Beyond global warming: ecology and global change. Ecology 75:1861–1877

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weaver JE, Houghen VH, Weldon MD (1935) Relation of root distribution to organic matter in prairie soil. Bot Gaz 96:389–420

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wedin DA, Tilman D (1990) Species effects on nitrogen cycling: a test with perennial grasses. Oecologia 84:433–441

    Google Scholar 

  • Wedin DA, Tilman D (1996) Influence of nitrogen loading and species composition on the carbon balance of grasslands. Science 274:1720–1723

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcove DS, Rothstein D, Dubow J, Phillips A, Losos E (1998) Quantifying threats to imperilled species in the United States. Bioscience 48:607–615

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilsey BJ (2005) Importance of species replication to understanding plant invasions into North American grasslands. In: Inderjit (ed) Plant invasions: ecological and agricultural aspects. Birkhauser-Verlag, Basel, Switzerland

  • Wilsey BJ, Polley HW (2003) Effects of seed additions and grazing history on diversity and aboveground productivity of sub-humid grasslands. Ecology 84:920–932

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilsey BJ, Polley HW (2004) Realistically low species evenness does not alter grassland species richness-productivity relationships. Ecology 85:2693–2700

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilsey BJ, Potvin C (2000) Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: importance of species evenness in an old field. Ecology 81:887–892

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Brad Bauer, Dan Haug and Kim Wahl with help with sample processing, and Katherine Jones, Kyle Tiner, and Justin Derner for help in planting and sampling the plots.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, 253 Bessey Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Brian J. Wilsey

  2. USDA-ARS, Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX, 76502, USA

    H. Wayne Polley

Authors
  1. Brian J. Wilsey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. Wayne Polley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian J. Wilsey.

Additional information

Communicated by Alan Knapp

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wilsey, B.J., Wayne Polley, H. Aboveground productivity and root–shoot allocation differ between native and introduced grass species. Oecologia 150, 300–309 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-006-0515-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-006-0515-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation