Abstract
Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) is one of the most problematic invasive plants in many parts of the world where it often dominates the shrub layer in riparian forests. We aimed to evaluate the role of privet invasion on litter inputs, rates of litter decomposition and litter-dwelling arthropods in the Southeastern United States. To do this we: (1) evaluated the relative contribution of privet to total litter-fall, (2) compared breakdown of artificial leaves (filter paper) in plots which had or had not been subjected to experimental privet removal, and (3) compared litter breakdown and arthropod communities among the following litter types: (a) native sweetgum, (b) invasive Chinese privet, and (c) a mixed sweetgum–privet.
Keywords
Leaf litter,
Wetland,
Arthropod,
Liquidambar styraciflua,
Litter fall,
Decay
Citation
Bush, Bryana M.; Ulyshen, Michael D.; Batzer, Darold P. 2020. Effects of Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) invasion on decomposition and litter-dwelling invertebrates in Southeastern U.S. floodplain forests. Biological Invasions. 22(6): 1957-1965. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02228-2.
