FOR891_sp11c invasibility

SP11c Succession and invasibility of herbaceous vegetation under different weeding managements in BEF-China

The theory that human intervention promotes the invasion of exotic species has been rarely tested in the montane subtropical area. Similarly little is known about their invasive mechanism. The establishment of the Main Experiment of BEF-China at Xingangshan (Jiangxi province), in which woody and shrub species were planted at various diversity levels and under different extinction scenarios also involves annual intensive weeding, and thus, provides an ideal platform for the study of floristic composition and succession of herbaceous species and invasibility. In this proposed study, we intend to : 1) monitor the dynamic of species diversity and composition of herbaceous species in the Main experimental plots; 2) compare the species diversity and composition of herbaceous species in the weeded and unweeded (control) plots; 3) study the invasibility of the exotic species under disturbance of various intensity; 4) discover the invasive mechanism by studying the relationship between native and exotic species through a seeds (native and exotic) addition experiment (cooperation with the German partner project); 5) study the invisibility of exotic species under various diversity levels and species composition of woody and shrub species (in cooperation with German partner). With the successful implementation of the research platform, the monitoring of herbaceous species dynamics will be an important contribution to the Ecoscape approach. The comparative study of the weeding impact will give an insight and understanding of the role of human intervention on invasion process. The experiment of seeds addition in different levels of woody and shrub species richness will facilitate our understanding of mechanism of invasion.

2011-04-02

2019-12-17