Record ID No. |
2210 |
Author(s) |
RodriguezEcheverria S., Crisostomo J. A., Nabais C., Freitas H. , 2009 |
Affiliation |
Univ Coimbra, Dept Bot, Ctr Funct Ecol, P-3000455 Coimbra, PORTUGAL |
Title |
Belowground mutualists and the invasive ability of Acacia longifolia in coastal dunes of Portugal |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
Biological Invasions. 11(3): 651-661p. |
Categories |
Mycorrhiza General |
Subjects |
Biochemistry |
Sub-subjects |
Miscellaneous |
Country |
Portugal, Europe |
Abstracts |
The ability to form symbiotic associations with soil microorganisms and the consequences for plant growth were studied for three woody legumes grown in five different soils of a Portuguese coastal dune system. Seedlings of the invasive Acacia longifolia and the natives Ulex europaeus and Cytisus grandiflorus
were planted in the five soil types in which at least one of these species appear in the studied coastal dune
system. We found significant differences between the three woody legumes in the number of nodules produced, final plant biomass and shoot N-15 content. The number of nodules produced by A. Longifolia was more than five times higher than the number of nodules produced by the native legumes. The obtained N-15 values suggest that
both A. Longifolia and U. Europaeus incorporated more biologically-fixed nitrogen than C. Grandiflorus which is
also the species with the smallest distribution. Finally, differences were also found between the three species in the allocation of biomass in the different studied soils. Acacia longifolia displayed a lower phenotypic
plasticity than the two native legumes which resulted in a greater allocation to aboveground biomass in the soils with lower nutrient content. We conclude that the invasive success of A. Longifolia in the studied coastal sand dune system is correlated to its capacity to nodulate profusely and to use the biologically-fixed nitrogen to enhance aboveground growth in soils with low N content. |