Litter quality,decomposition rates and saprotrophic mycoflora in Fallopia japonica (Houtt.) Ronse Decraene and in adjacent native grassland vegetation |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Viale P.A. Mattioli, 25, 10125 Turin, Italy;2. Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, Italy;1. Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622 Villeurbanne, France;2. Irstea, UR EMGR Mountain Ecosystems, 2 rue de la Papeterie-BP 76, F-38402 St-Martin-d’Hères, France;3. Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratory of Ecological Systems (ECOS)—Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), and Restoration Ecology Research Group, Site Lausanne, Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland;1. W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31–512 Kraków, Poland;2. Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 3, 30–387 Kraków, Poland;1. Universidade de Brasília, Departamento de Ecologia, IB, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brasília CEP 70.910-900, DF, Brazil;2. Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Biologia, Campus Universitário de Ondina, Salvador CEP 40.170-115, BA, Brazil;1. School of Environment and Natural Resources, Doon University, Dehradun 248001, India;2. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi 110001, India;3. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar;4. Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar;5. Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, India |
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| Abstract: | Fallopia japonica succeeds in invading different ecosystems likely because of its huge biomass production. This biomass is characterized by low nutritional quality and low decomposition rates but knowledge on whether these features are correlated to microbial decomposers is still lacking. The aims of this work were: i) to determine litter decomposition rates of native grassland vegetation and F. japonica under different conditions in a year-round experiment; ii) to evaluate litter quality and/or site effect on the decomposition of the invader and native vegetation and iii) to characterize mycoflora isolated from F. japonica and native vegetation litter. The results showed that F. japonica litter decomposes 3–4 times slower than that of native grassland, mainly due to its low N content and consequently high C/N ratio both in leaves and stems. As decomposition proceeds C/N in F. japonica litter decreases to values approaching those of the grassland litter. Site had no effect on the decomposition rates of F. japonica and grassland litter. Total fungal load and composition differed between F. japonica and native litter, and also varied across sites. These results indicate that the successful invasive plant F. japonica affects the structure and functions of the invaded ecosystem through a huge production of low quality, slow-decomposing litter that selects saprotrophic fungi. |
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| Keywords: | C/N ratio Ecosystem functioning Litter decomposition Plant invasion Saprotrophic fungi |
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