Austroeupatorium inulifolium invasion increases arbuscular mycorrhizal abundance in Cymbopogon-dominated grasslands in Knuckles Conservation Area

Plant invasions can interfere with above- and belowground dynamics of ecosystems, which eventually alter the ecosystem functions. However, relatively less attention has been drawn to assess the impacts of invasion on the soil microbial community. Austroeupatorium inulifolium has been spreading into different landuse types in the Knuckles Conservation Area (KCA) for the last few years, including Cymbopogondominated grasslands. Therefore, the study investigated whether this invasion has altered the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) abundance and the diversity in these grasslands through isolation and identification of AMF spores in three different habitats, namely less- and highly-invaded grasslands (LIG and HIG, respectively) and nearby lower montane forest patch (LMF), which is free of Austroeupatorium invasion. The results revealed that the invasion has significantly increased the AMF spore abundance. However, the LMF reported the highest AMF diversity compared to invaded grasslands. AMF richness showed no difference between the habitats. The results highlighted the importance of investigating the changes caused to the soil microbial community due to invasions and their implications for site restoration.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jnsfsr.v42i4.7735

J.Natn.Sci.Foundation Sri Lanka 2014 42 (4): 361-364