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INVASIVE GRASS ALTERS LITTER DECOMPOSITION BY INFLUENCING MACRO-DETRITIVORES
Citation:
Mayer*, P. M., S. J. Tunnell, D. M. Engle, E E. Jorgensen*, AND P V. Nunn*. INVASIVE GRASS ALTERS LITTER DECOMPOSITION BY INFLUENCING MACRO-DETRITIVORES. ECOSYSTEMS. Springer, New York, NY, (8):200-209, (2005).
Description:
Nitrogen fertilization experiments have produced results with inconsistent rates of plant litter decomposition, a phenomenon that may be explained if the influence of animal detritivores (macro-detritivores) on litter mass loss is greater than that of microbial decomposers whose activity may dependent on inorganic N. In turn, macro-detritivores may be influenced by plant species composition via their selection of optimal food resources and habitats. In our experiment, fertilizer had no apparent affect on litter decomposition suggesting that microbial decomposers did not utilize the additional inorganic N and/or that macro-detritivores had a greater influence on decomposition. Manipulation of macro-detritivores suggested that plant species composition, primarily Festuca arundinacea, an exotic, invasive grass, and Aster ericoides, a native forb, caused shifts in detrivore communities and/or feeding patterns which tended to increase litter mass loss. Canopy cover of F. arundinacea and A. ericoides ranged from 0 to 11%, suggesting that low-intensity invasion may produce significant changes in ecosystem functions such as decomposition.