IMPACT OF THE INVASIVE PLANT ALTERNANTHERA PHILOXEROIDES (MART.) GRISEB ON SOIL MESO- AND MICROFAUNAL COMMUNITY

Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb is a plant species which has become one of the most damaging weeds in ecosystems. We examined potential effects of the invasive plant A. philoxeroides on soil animal community by considering four levels of plant invasion (including noninvaded, slightly invaded, moderately invaded and heavily invaded ecosystems) in Nanfeihe, Hefei, China The following conclusions: A total of 2406 individuals of soil animals, belonging to 25 families, 13 orders and 7 classes, and Acarina and Collembola accounted for 64.52% of the total amount of soil animals captured, thus comprising the dominant species; Individual number of soil animals varied with different rate of invasion; the diversity and evenness indices of the soil fauna showed a pattern of noninvaded < heavily invaded < moderately invaded < slightly invaded, however, there were no significant differences between the moderately and slightly invaded plots. The vertical distribution of the species number and individual number of soil fauna had obvious surface segregation with the increased soil depth; The degree of invasion affects the soil physicochemical properties, and the total potassium content is significantly correlated with the number of soil fauna groups.