Can Kalmia angustifolia interference to black spruce (Picea mariana) be explained by allelopathy?

Allelopathic interference of Kalmia angustifolia (Ericaceae) to the growth and establishment of black spruce (Picea mariana) has been suggested by several authors. The greenhouse studies suggested that Kalmia has potential for nutrient interference. However, these studies do not eliminate probable involvement of allelopathy. Field studies indicate that soils associated with Kalmia were nutrient-poor particularly for nitrogen. phosphorus. iron. and manganese, and support the hypothesis that Kalmia has dominated microsites that were nutrient-poor prior to it,, colonization. The questions addressed in this paper are (i) Is Kalmia interference to black spruce growth explained by allelopathy? (ii) Can Kalmia-black spruce allelochemical interactions be better explained by ecosystem-level approach to allelochemicals rather than disturbance-related regeneration ecology of Kalmia? At present, we do not have compelling direct evidence to support allelopathy as a mechanism of Kalmia interference to black spruce. However, organic molecules released from Kalmia into the environment may influence soil mineralization, mycorrhizae, nutrient dynamics, and soil microbial ecology. We hypothesize that synergistic interaction of ecological factors may better explain the interference mechanism of Kalmia. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.