Work

Impact of plant invasion on physical, chemical and biological aspects of ecosystems: A review

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: Biological invasion is considered as one of the major threats to native ecosystems.Here, we review the impacts of invasive plants on the physical, chemical and biological aspects of ecosystem functioning.Introduction of invasive plants impact ecosystems profoundly in a multitude of ways by modifying the physical (soil temperature, soil moisture, etc.), chemical (elemental composition, litter dynamics, nutrient cycles, allelopathy, etc.) and biological components (plant community structure, soil microbial biota and fauna).Most studies have shown a negative feedback of biological invasion on the physical, chemical and biological aspects of the ecosystems.Very often, a positive feedback has been generated between the physico-chemical and biological aspects that favour invasion success.Hence, the in-depth and long-term monitoring is needed to focus on the impact of invasive plants on the species diversity, soil biogeochemistry for better understanding of plant invasion processes in ecosystems, so that proper management strategies could be developed for combating the negative impacts of plant invasion.

Source: Tropical Plant Research

DOI: 10.22271/tpr.2019.v6.i3.067