Vegetation change can affect the magnitude and direction of global climate change via its effect on carbon cycling among plants, the soil and the atmosphere. The invasion of non-native plants is a major cause of land cover change, of biodiversity loss, and of other changes in ecosystem structure and function. In California, annual grasses from Mediterranean Europe have nearly displaced native perennial grasses across the coastal hillsides and terraces of the state. Koteen et. al.’s study examines the impact of this invasion on carbon cycling and storage at two sites in northern coastal California.
Koteen, L. E., Baldocchi, D. D., & Harte, J. (2011). Invasion of non-native grasses causes a drop in soil carbon storage in California grasslands. Environmental Research Letters, 6(4), 044001.
