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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Microbial Biomass And Nitrogen Availability Under The Invasive Plant Species Lonicera Japonica And Native Grasses In Wetland Soil, Kimberly R. Payne, Mary C. Savin, Peter J. Tomlinson
Microbial Biomass And Nitrogen Availability Under The Invasive Plant Species Lonicera Japonica And Native Grasses In Wetland Soil, Kimberly R. Payne, Mary C. Savin, Peter J. Tomlinson
Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
Invasive plants decrease aboveground biodiversity and suitable wildlife habitat. Wetlands are especially valuable ecosystems because they provide habitat, floodwater control, and function as filters for urban runoff. Wetland soils also act as sinks for nutrients. This characteristic reduces levels of excess nutrients often found in adjacent aquatic systems. The importance of soil functions in wetlands necessitates further investigation of the effects of invasive species on belowground nutrient pools. Approximately 75% of a small neighborhood wetland located in Fayetteville, Ark., has been invaded by Lonicera japonica. The effects of L. japonica and its replacement with native grasses on soil microbial biomass …