Sweet clover (Melilotus spp.) is an invasive biennial legume, commonly exploiting disturbed areas along roads and pipelines. In southern Alberta's Dry Mixedgrass Prairie, sweet clover plants are invading adjacent native grasslands, where they are larger statured than endemic forbs and grasses. As a result, the canopy of sweet clover changes the underlying microclimate, including decreasing light availability and altering soil moisture. In addition, a single sweet clover plant can create a crown ~ 3 to 6 cm wide in its second year. This crown can physically push litter and soil crust away from the point of origin. In this study, we evaluate changes in plant community and soil crust composition associated with sweet clover presence, as well as the role of environmental factors. Relative plant species (canopy and basal) composition were measured for 28 individual sweet clover plants using 10x10 cm quadrats positioned at intervals of 5 cm, 15 cm, 25 cm, 55 cm, 80 cm and 105 cm from the parent plant, along 2 transects lying north and south of the plant. Soil moisture was measured at each interval. Finally, sweet clover seedlings within a 1 m radius of the plant were recorded to estimate local recruitment. Results of this study may be used to inform decisions pertaining to the management of sweet clover in semi-arid native grasslands, including the conservation of plant and microphyte biodiversity.
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