Woody plant encroachment into coastal grasslands: consequences for soil properties and plant diversity
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Woody plant encroachment into coastal grasslands: consequences for soil properties and plant diversity Eva Kinnebrew 1,2
&
Lena K. Champlin 3 & Gillian L. Galford 1,2 & Christopher Neill 4
Received: 17 August 2019 / Accepted: 11 July 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Northeastern U.S. coastal grasslands are biologically, culturally, and historically significant but are being lost through the invasion of woody plants, including native species Gaylussacia baccata Wangenh. and Smilax rotundifolia L. Soil changes induced by these woody plants have important implications for herbaceous species diversity and restoration potential. We determined the effects of young and old G. baccata and S. rotundifolia patches on soil properties and plant diversity and identified relationships among soil properties and plant diversity. On a coastal grassland on Naushon Island (MA, USA) in 2015 and 2016, we used a time sequence of satellite imagery to identify young (< 5 years) and old (> 20 years) patches of G. baccata and S. rotundifolia. In these areas and in remaining grassland patches, we sampled soil properties, leaf 15N, and herbaceous plant diversity. All soils had low pH and higher extractable NH4+ than NO3−. G. baccata had relatively low extractable soil NO3−, soil potential nitrification, and leaf δ15N, while S. rotundifolia had relatively high extractable soil NH4+, low soil pH, and high leaf %N. Herbaceous plant diversity was low under S. rotundifolia and nearly absent under G. baccata, and most effects were more pronounced in older woody plant patches. Species diversity correlated with different soil variables between the two woody plants, indicating different mechanisms may drive diversity loss. Especially in older woody plant patches, restoration efforts should take into account soil changes, such as by making use of soil amendments. This could help offset soil effects after woody plant clearance and better enable grassland species recovery. Keywords Coastal ecosystems . Native plant invasions . Land restoration . N cycling . Northeastern U.S.
Introduction The encroachment of woody species into grasslands is an increasingly prevalent trend that poses major threats to grassland conservation (Sala and Maestre 2014; Zinnert et al. 2016;
Communicated by Anne Bousquet-Melou * Eva Kinnebrew [email protected] 1
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
2
Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, 210 Colchester Ave, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
3
Academy of Natural Sciences, Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA
4
Woods Hole Research Center, 149 Woods Hole Rd, Falmouth, MA 02540, USA
Archer et al. 2017). This trend is often the result of land use changes such as reduced fire and grazing pressures (Van Auken 2000; Briggs and Hoch 2002; Foster and Motzkin 2003; Briggs et al. 2005) or warming temperatures (Báez and Collins 20
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