Effects of Pedicularis kansuensis Expansion on Plant Community Characteristics and Soil Nutrients in an Alpine Grassland

Pedicularis kansuensis is an indicator species of grassland degradation. Its population expansion dramatically impacts the production and service function of the grassland ecosystem, but the effects and mechanisms of the expansion are still unclear. In order to understand the ecological effects of P. kansuensis, three P. kansuensis patches of different densities were selected in an alpine grassland, and species diversity indexes, biomasses, soil physicochemical properties, and the mechanism among them were analyzed. The results showed that P. kansuensis expansion increased the richness index, the Shannon-Wiener index significantly, and the aboveground biomass ratio (ABR) of the Weed group (p < 0.05), but reduced the total biomass of the community and the ABR of the Gramineae and Cyperaceae decreased insignificantly (p > 0.05); soil moisture, soil AOC, and NO3-center dot N decreased significantly (p < 0.05), while soil pH and total soil nutrients did not change significantly, and available phosphorus (AP) decreased at first and then increased (p < 0.05). The structural equation model (SEM) showed that P. kansuensis expansion had a significant positive effect on the community richness index, and a significant negative effect followed on the soil AOC from the increase of the index; the increase of pH had a significant negative effect on the soil AOC, NO3-center dot N, and AP. It indicated that P. kansuensis expansion resulted in the increase of species richness, the ABR of the Weed group, and the community's water demand, which promoted the over-utilization of soil available nutrients in turn, and finally caused the decline of soil quality. This study elucidated a possible mechanism of poisonous weeds expansion, and provided a scientific and theoretical basis for grassland management.