Progress in invasive plants research

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Henderson ◽  
Terence P. Dawson ◽  
Robert J. Whittaker
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Landscape Characteristics

This paper identifies the historical precedents and recent advances in descriptive and analytical aspects of invasive plant ecology. The paper takes a global perspective that focuses primarily on natural and semi-natural systems. The dynamics of plant invasions depend on the unique combination of species and recipient environments in light of short-lived, but highly influential, stochastic events. Spreading from the original point of establishment can be virtually instantaneous or follow a prolonged timelag. Range extension proceeds according to a variety of patterns dependent on the interplay between dispersal modes and landscape characteristics. The impacts of plant invasions are all-encompassing: biodiversity loss, economic impacts and aesthetic impacts occasioned by the loss of traditional cultural or natural landscapes. From the conservation perspective, costs are incalculable, but undoubtedly high. The impacts of invasive plants on natural ecosystems occur across all levels of biotic organization and, in the worst case, result in global extinctions and modification of fundamental ecosystem properties that make restoration practically impossible. Plant invasions occur across all habitat types and have spawned complementary theories, which are briefly presented within particular contexts.

Molecular ecology of plant-microbial interactions during invasions: progress and challenges.

2020 ◽  
pp. 340-362
Author(s):  
Johannes J. le Roux
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Molecular Ecology ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
Interaction Networks ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evolutionary Information ◽  
Molecular Approaches

Abstract Microbes are omnipresent, yet their interactions with invasive plants remain understudied. This is surprising, given the importance of microbes in plant community ecology and their influence on plant performance in new environments. Recent advances in molecular genetic approaches have opened the door to studying this unseen majority in great detail and to understand how they fit into ecological interaction networks. Molecular approaches allow rapid assessments of microbial diversity at reasonable cost while providing both taxonomic and evolutionary information. Here I discuss how these approaches have contributed to a better understanding of plant-microbial interactions in the context of biological invasions. By drawing insights from various case studies, I illustrate how next-generation sequencing (DNA barcoding) has revolutionized the way we understand such interactions. Tight-knit and coevolved mutualist (e.g. mycorrhizal) and antagonist (e.g. pathogen) interactions appear particularly promising to understand the structure and function of invasive plant-microbial interaction networks, the impacts of invasive plants on native networks and the vulnerability of native networks to infiltration by non-native species. I also discuss novel ways in which molecular data can aid the study of invasive plant-microbial interactions, such as incorporating phylogenetic data into network analyses to better understand the role of evolutionary history in network dynamics and how such dynamics respond to plant invasions. DNA barcoding of microbes also presents unique challenges to the study of network ecology, such as uncertainty in the legitimacy and efficiency of interactions. Future research should incorporate overall plant-associated microbial communities (microbiomes) into interaction networks to better understand the role microbes play during plant invasions.

scholarly journals Assessing Stakeholder Perspectives on Invasive Plants to Inform Risk Analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J. Kapler ◽  
Janette R. Thompson ◽  
Mark P. Widrlechner
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Stakeholder Groups ◽  
Nature Relatedness ◽  
Risk Assessment Models

AbstractConservation and land management decisions often are based primarily on natural science, but could be more successful if human influences were effectively integrated into decision making. This is especially true for efforts to manage invasive plants, whose arrival is usually the product of deliberate human introduction. Risk-assessment models that predict the probability that a nonnative plant will naturalize or invade are useful tools for managing invasive plants. However, decisions based on such models could affect stakeholders differently. Careful assessment of risk-analysis methodologies should consider the importance of stakeholder participation. We surveyed the perceptions of four stakeholder groups (conservation professionals, master gardeners, professional horticulturists, and woodland landowners) in Iowa about invasive plants, general management approaches, and risk-assessment models. We also examined whether or not a stakeholder's nature relatedness plays a role in shaping his or her responses. Stakeholder perceptions varied less than expected across all four groups. Eighty-seven percent of respondents agreed invasive plants are a problem, and 88.4% agreed that we have a responsibility to manage them to protect natural areas. Support for the use of risk-assessment models also was high, with 78.7% of respondents agreeing that their use has potential to prevent plant invasions. Nature relatedness scores for all groups were correlated with respondent perspectives on invasive plants. Respondents believed biologically significant error rates (errors that might introduce a new invasive plant) should not exceed 5 to 10%. Respondents were more tolerant of horticulturally limiting errors (errors that restrict sale/use of a plant that would not have become invasive), reporting rates of 10 to 20% as acceptable. Researchers developing risk-assessment models might wish to aim for error rates within these bounds. General agreement among these stakeholder groups suggests potential support for future risk-management efforts related to invasive plants.

scholarly journals Limiting the loss of terrestrial ecosystems to safeguard nature for biodiversity and humanity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy S. Simmonds ◽  
Andres Felipe Suarez-Castro ◽  
April E. Reside ◽  
James E.M. Watson ◽  
James R. Allan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Multiple Goals ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
The People

ABSTRACTHumanity is on a pathway of unsustainable loss of the natural systems upon which we, and all life, rely. To date, global efforts to achieve internationally-agreed goals to reduce carbon emissions, halt biodiversity loss, and retain essential ecosystem services, have been poorly integrated. However, these different goals all rely on preserving natural ecosystems. Here, we show how to unify these goals by empirically deriving spatially-explicit, quantitative area-based targets for the retention of natural terrestrial ecosystems. We found that at least 67 million km2 of Earth’s natural terrestrial ecosystems (~79% of the area remaining) require retention – via a combination of strict protection but more prominently through sustainably managed land use regimes complemented by restoration actions – to contribute to biodiversity, climate, soil and freshwater objectives under four United Nations’ Resolutions. This equates to retaining natural ecosystems across ~50% of the total terrestrial (excluding Antarctica) surface of Earth. Our results show where retention efforts could be focussed to contribute to multiple goals simultaneously. The retention targets concept that we present explicitly recognises that such management can and should co-occur alongside and be driven by the people who live in and rely on places where natural and semi-natural ecosystems remain on Earth.

scholarly journals An invasive plant rapidly increased the similarity of soil fungal pathogen communities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiling Wang ◽  
Xuefei Tang ◽  
Xiaoqiu Sun ◽  
Bingbing Jia ◽  
Hao Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Alternanthera Philoxeroides ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Soil Microbial

Abstract Background and Aims Plant invasions can change soil microbial communities and affect subsequent invasions directly or indirectly via foliar herbivory. It has been proposed that invaders promote uniform biotic communities that displace diverse, spatially variable communities (the biotic homogenization hypothesis), but this has not been experimentally tested for soil microbial communities, so the underlying mechanisms and dynamics are unclear. Here, we compared density-dependent impacts of the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides and its native congener A. sessilis on soil fungal communities, and their feedback effects on plants and a foliar beetle. Methods We conducted a plant–soil feedback (PSF) experiment and a laboratory bioassay to examine PSFs associated with the native and invasive plants and a beetle feeding on them. We also characterized the soil fungal community using high-throughput sequencing. Key Results We found locally differentiated soil fungal pathogen assemblages associated with high densities of the native plant A. sessilis but little variation in those associated with the invasive congener A. philoxeroides, regardless of plant density. In contrast, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal assemblages associated with high densities of the invasive plant were more variable. Soil biota decreased plant shoot mass but their effect was weak for the invasive plant growing in native plant-conditioned soils. PSFs increased the larval biomass of a beetle reared on leaves of the native plant only. Moreover, PSFs on plant shoot and root mass and beetle mass were predicted by different pathogen taxa in a plant species-specific manner. Conclusion Our results suggest that plant invasions can rapidly increase the similarity of soil pathogen assemblages even at low plant densities, leading to taxonomically and functionally homogeneous soil communities that may limit negative soil effects on invasive plants.

scholarly journals Invasive Plants with Native Lookalikes: How Mistaken Identities Can Lead to More Significant Plant Invasions and Delay Management

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
S. Christopher Marble ◽  
Stephen H. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Population Expansion ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Delayed Response ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Invasive Plant Management

Plant invasions pose a serious threat to biodiversity, agricultural production, and land value throughout the world. Due to Florida’s unique climate, population expansion, expansive coastline, and number of seaports, the state is especially vulnerable to non-native plant naturalization and spread. Invasive plant management programs were shown to have higher success rates with fewer resources when invasives were managed soon after non-native plants were observed. However, some newly emerging invasive plants may go undetected due to their resemblance with native species or other invasive plants. The objective of this review is to highlight a few key invasive plants in Florida that have native lookalikes. While morphological differences are discussed, the primary goal is to discuss management implications of misidentification and delayed response times, as well as the need for plant identification guides that include information on how to distinguish problematic invasive plants from similar native species.

Molecular ecology of plant-microbial interactions during invasions: progress and challenges.

2020 ◽  
pp. 340-362
Author(s):  
Johannes J. Le Roux ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Molecular Ecology ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
Interaction Networks ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evolutionary Information ◽  
Molecular Approaches

Microbes are omnipresent, yet their interactions with invasive plants remain understudied. This is surprising, given the importance of microbes in plant community ecology and their influence on plant performance in new environments. Recent advances in molecular genetic approaches have opened the door to studying this unseen majority in great detail and to understand how they fit into ecological interaction networks. Molecular approaches allow rapid assessments of microbial diversity at reasonable cost while providing both taxonomic and evolutionary information. Here I discuss how these approaches have contributed to a better understanding of plant-microbial interactions in the context of biological invasions. By drawing insights from various case studies, I illustrate how next-generation sequencing (DNA barcoding) has revolutionized the way we understand such interactions. Tight-knit and coevolved mutualist (e.g. mycorrhizal) and antagonist (e.g. pathogen) interactions appear particularly promising to understand the structure and function of invasive plant-microbial interaction networks, the impacts of invasive plants on native networks and the vulnerability of native networks to infiltration by non-native species. I also discuss novel ways in which molecular data can aid the study of invasive plant-microbial interactions, such as incorporating phylogenetic data into network analyses to better understand the role of evolutionary history in network dynamics and how such dynamics respond to plant invasions. DNA barcoding of microbes also presents unique challenges to the study of network ecology, such as uncertainty in the legitimacy and efficiency of interactions. Future research should incorporate overall plant-associated microbial communities (microbiomes) into interaction networks to better understand the role microbes play during plant invasions.

scholarly journals A screening system to predict wildfire risk of invasive plants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Faccenda ◽  
Curtis C. Daehler
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Screening System ◽  
Wildfire Risk

AbstractGlobally, invasive plant-fueled wildfires have tremendous environmental, economical, and societal impacts, and the frequencies of wildfires and plant invasions are on an upward trend globally. Identifying which plant species tend to increase the frequency or severity of wildfire is important to help manage their impacts. We developed a screening system to identify introduced plant species that are likely to increase wildfire risk, using the Hawaiian Islands to test the system and illustrate how the system can be applied to inform management decisions. Expert-based fire risk scores derived from field experiences with 49 invasive species in Hawai′i were used to train a machine learning model that predicts expert fire risk scores from among 21 plant traits obtained from literature and databases. The model revealed that just four variables can identify species categorized as higher fire risk by experts with 90% accuracy, while low risk species were identified with 79% accuracy. We then used the predictive model to screen > 140 recently naturalized plants in Hawai′i to illustrate how the screening tool can be applied. The screening tool identified a managebly small set of species (6% of naturalizations in the last ~ 10 years) that are likely to pose a high fire risk and can be targeted for eradication or containment to reduce future wildfire risks. Because the screening system uses general plant traits that are likely relevant to fire risk in drylands around the world, it can likely be applied with minimal modification to other regions where invasive plants pose potential fire risks.

Invasive Plant Ecology

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-213
Author(s):  
E. K. Espeland
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Plant Ecology

The Biology of Invasive Alien Plants in Canada. 4. Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 569-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Page ◽  
Ronald E. Wall ◽  
Stephen J. Darbyshire ◽  
Gerald A. Mulligan
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Leaf Shape ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Invasive Alien Plant ◽  
Heracleum Mantegazzianum

Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed) is an invasive alien plant of management concern in southern Canada where it has escaped from horticulture and established and spread in natural, ruderal, and agricultural ecosystems. It poses a threat to natural ecosystems and human health, and is also a weed in agricultural and urban areas. It is a member of the Carrot family (Apiaceae) and is closely related to the native species Heracleum maximum Bartram (cow-parsnip). It is a monocarpic perennial, which generally flowers in its 3rd or 4th year. Large size, leaf shape, dark reddish pigments in patches on stems and petioles, and fruit characteristics readily distinguish H. mantegazzianum from other plants in Canada. It is increasingly common in riparian areas, floodplains, and forest edges in or near urban areas in southwestern British Columbia and southern Ontario. Based on herbarium specimens, H. mantegazzianum was first recorded in Ontario in 1949, British Columbia in 1964, Nova Scotia in 1980, Quebec in 1990, and New Brunswick in 2000. The development of dense stands of H. mantegazzianum can also reduce the richness of native plants. Contact with H. mantegazzianum can cause phytophotodermatitis, a serious skin inflammation caused by UV photo-activation of furanocoumarins present in the sap. Control methods include herbicide application, mechanical cutting, and animal grazing, but strategies to address seed dispersal and re-establishment from dormant seed must also be adopted. Widespread establishment in southern Canada suggests that eradication is unlikely. However, range expansion and rapid population growth can be prevented through strategic management including public education. Key words: Giant hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum, Apiaceae, HERMZ, invasive plant, weed biology, furanocoumarins

scholarly journals New perspectives in ecosystem services science as instruments to understand environmental securities

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1639) ◽  
pp. 20120286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferdinando Villa ◽  
Brian Voigt ◽  
Jon D. Erickson
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Minimum Level ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Methodological Innovation ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Dynamic Expression ◽  
Services Science

As societal demand for food, water and other life-sustaining resources grows, the science of ecosystem services (ES) is seen as a promising tool to improve our understanding, and ultimately the management, of increasingly uncertain supplies of critical goods provided or supported by natural ecosystems. This promise, however, is tempered by a relatively primitive understanding of the complex systems supporting ES, which as a result are often quantified as static resources rather than as the dynamic expression of human–natural systems. This article attempts to pinpoint the minimum level of detail that ES science needs to achieve in order to usefully inform the debate on environmental securities, and discusses both the state of the art and recent methodological developments in ES in this light. We briefly review the field of ES accounting methods and list some desiderata that we deem necessary, reachable and relevant to address environmental securities through an improved science of ES. We then discuss a methodological innovation that, while only addressing these needs partially, can improve our understanding of ES dynamics in data-scarce situations. The methodology is illustrated and discussed through an application related to water security in the semi-arid landscape of the Great Ruaha river of Tanzania.

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