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University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
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The Effects Of Insects, Nutrients, And Plant Invasion On Community Structure And Function Above- And Belowground, Phoebe Wright, Melissa A. Cregger, Lara Souza, Nathan J. Sanders, Aimee T. Classen
The Effects Of Insects, Nutrients, And Plant Invasion On Community Structure And Function Above- And Belowground, Phoebe Wright, Melissa A. Cregger, Lara Souza, Nathan J. Sanders, Aimee T. Classen
Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Soil nutrient availability, invasive plants, and insect presence can directly alter ecosystem structure and function, but less is known about how these factors may interact. In this 6-year study in an old-field ecosystem, we manipulated insect abundance (reduced and control), the propagule pressure of an invasive nitrogen-fixing plant (propagules added and control), and soil nutrient availability (nitrogen added, nitrogen reduced and control) in a fully crossed, completely randomized plot design. We found that nutrient amendment and, occasionally, insect abundance interacted with the propagule pressure of an invasive plant to alter above- and belowground structure and function at our site. Not …