RT Journal Article
T1 Effects of simulated climate change on soil characteristics under Carpobrotus edulis invasion in a coastal backdune
A1 Vieites-Blanco, Cristina
A1 González Campoy, Josefina
A1 Lema Márquez, Margarita
A1 Retuerto Franco, José Carlos Rubén
A1 González Prieto, Serafín Jesús
K1 Alien plants
K1 Coastal ecosystems
K1 Global change
K1 Macro- and micro-nutrients
K1 Organic matter
K1 Stable isotopes
AB Background and aimsAlong coastal habitats worldwide, Carpobrotus edulis is a highly invasive and detrimental species, that acts as an ecosystem engineer by modifying many soil properties for its own benefit. However, the combined effects of C. edulis and climate change on soil characteristics remain largely unknown.MethodsTo address this knowledge gap, we set up a factorial field experiment with five treatments and eight replicates per treatment: natural vegetation as an uninvaded control under current climate conditions, C. edulis under current climate conditions, and C. edulis subjected to increased temperature (+ 2 ºC), decreased rainfall (- 33%), and both factors combined (+ 2 ºC and - 33% rainfall). The soil 0–5 and 5–10 cm layers were sampled after 14 months and analysed for 21 properties.ResultsAlthough the effect of depth on soil characteristics was greater in most cases, the treatments significantly affected soil pHKCl, electrical conductivity, organic δ13C, NH4+-N, NO3−-N and available Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, P, and Zn. The discriminant analyses clearly differentiated the invaded from the uninvaded soils, reinforcing the view of C. edulis as an ecosystem engineer and highlighting the significant role of the species in shaping ecosystem dynamics. Besides, the analyses indicated that decreased precipitation had a greater impact on invaded soils than increased temperature, and suggested a synergistic effect of both climatic treatments.ConclusionThese findings underline the complex interactions between invasive species and climate change, highlighting the need for specific management strategies to mitigate C. edulis impacts on soil health and ecosystem integrity.
PB Springer
SN 0032-079X
YR 2025
FD 2025-04-08
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42085
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42085
LA eng
NO Vieites-Blanco, C., Campoy, J.G., Lema, M. Retuerto, R., González-Prieto, S.J. 2025. Effects of simulated climate change on soil characteristics under Carpobrotus edulis invasion in a coastal backdune. Plant and Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07437-z
NO Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. The study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (grants Ref. CGL2013‐48885‐C2‐2‐R and Ref. CGL2017‐87294‐C3‐1‐P). The participation of Cristina Vieites-Blanco was supported by a pre-doctoral fellowship by Xunta de Galicia and by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101034288. Josefina González Campoy was supported by a postdoctoral research grant from the Autonomous Government of Galicia (Spain). The isotopic ratio mass spectrometer was partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund (EU).
DS Minerva
RD 4 jun 2026