Impacts of bamboo invasion on soil macro- and micronutrients in temperate red pine stands

Abstract

This study was performed to determine the effects of bamboo invasion on the soil properties of different bamboo stands. The study sites included pure bamboo stands (BF), mixed stands of bamboo and pine trees (MF), and pure pine stands without bamboo (PF). These stands comprised three different bamboo species, namely, Phyllostachys bambusoides Sieb. et Zucc, P. nigra var. henonis Stapf ex. Rendle, and P. pubescens (Mazel Ohwi), South Korea. Soil samples were collected from a depth of 0–10 cm to measure their physical and chemical properties. The BF stands had higher soil pH and water content, but lower light availability and soil bulk density than the PF stands. The MF stands generally showed an intermediate value between those of the BF and PF stands. While concentrations of macronutrients such as N, P, K+, and Ca2+ were generally higher in the BF stands, micronutrients exhibited inconsistent patterns. The BF stands had the lowest Fe concentration but the highest Mn and Si concentrations. These changes in macro- and micronutrients corresponded to the increase in soil pH and water content caused by bamboo invasion (R 2 = 0.32 − 0.77, P < 0.05). However, there was no significant interaction effect between the bamboo invasion and invading bamboo species. Overall, the results suggest that the extent of change in soil nutrients after Phyllostachys bamboo invasion could be related to the shifts in soil properties with invasion intensity instead of the invading bamboo species. © 2023, The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Consortium of Landscape and Ecological Engineering.