Soil physical properties associated with the invasive spotted knapweed and native grasses are similar |
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Authors: | T.D. Sperber J.M. Wraith B.E. Olson |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University-Bozeman, Bozeman, MT 59717-3120, USA;(2) Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University-Bozeman, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA |
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Abstract: | ![]() Centaurea maculosa Lam. (spotted knapweed), a Eurasian perennial forb, has invaded disturbed and undisturbed semiarid grasslands in the western United States. In the past, success in controlling C. maculosa and restoring invaded areas has been limited. Most research has addressed chemical aspects of invasive species interactions with soils, while potential impacts of altered soil physical properties on C. maculosa's success has not been studied. We hypothesized that the persistence of C. maculosa in semiarid rangelands might reflect an ability to alter site conditions. The objective of this study was to compare selected soil physical properties under C. maculosa-dominated and native perennial grass-dominated areas on semiarid grassland. We used six field sites in western Montana containing adjacent plots dominated by C. maculosa and by native perennial grasses. Soil physical properties including particle size fractions, bulk density, and hydraulic and thermal properties, as well as total organic carbon content, of near-surface soils were measured for each vegetation type. Soil physical properties seldom differed between C. maculosa- and native grass-dominated areas. When soil physical properties differed, the differences were inconsistent within and among sites. Presence of C. maculosa did not alter surface soil characteristics at our six sites, thus its persistence on these semi-arid grasslands cannot be explained by an ability to alter near-surface soil characteristics. |
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Keywords: | Centaurea maculosa invasive species plant– soil interactions soil hydraulic properties soil temperature regime soil thermal properties |
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