scholarly journals Alien plant species on roadsides of the northwestern Patagonian steppe (Argentina)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246657
Author(s):  
Giselle Ailin Chichizola ◽  
Sofía Laura Gonzalez ◽  
Adriana Edit Rovere
Keyword(s):  
Exotic Species ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Patagonian Steppe ◽  
Invasive Exotic Species ◽  
Perennial Herbs ◽  
Invasive Exotic ◽  
Reference Areas

The introduction of alien species represents one of the greatest threats to biodiversity worldwide. Highway construction increases the dispersal and invasion of exotic plant species. This study examined the assembly process of the plant communities to determine whether the roadsides of the Patagonian steppe represent a reservoir and dispersal source of invasive exotic species. We analyzed the composition of exotic and native species and functional groups present in the established vegetation and seed banks of roadsides and reference areas nearby. The type of dispersal of exotic and native species at the roadsides was also evaluated. Total cover and that of exotic and native species was lower at the roadsides than in the reference areas; however, at the roadsides the cover and seed abundance of exotic species was higher than that of native species. In the roadsides vegetation, native shrubs such as Acaena splendens predominated, along with exotic perennial herbs and grasses which were mainly represented by Rumex acetosella. In the seed bank the predominant species were exotic perennial herbs, also represented by R. acetosella, annual exotic species such as Epilobium brachycarpum and Verbascum thapsus, and annual native species such as Heliotropium paronychioides. No exotic shrubs were found either at the roadsides or in the reference areas. The species at the roadsides did not present a dominant type of dispersal. The abundance of exotic species at the roadsides, both in the aboveground vegetation and the seed bank, may be due to the stressful environment and the characteristics of the species themselves, such as the ability to form seed banks. This work revealed that the roadsides of the Patagonian steppe constitute reservoirs of invasive exotic species, highlighting the importance of identifying them and controlling their spread, with a view to generating ecosystem management programs.

Leaf properties and construction costs of common, co-occurring plant species of disturbed heath forest in Borneo

2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olusegun O. Osunkoya ◽  
Dahliayana Bujang ◽  
Huzaimi Moksin ◽  
Franz L. Wimmer ◽  
Thippeswamy M. Holige
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Small Tree ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
Leaf Properties ◽  
Invasive Exotic Species ◽  
Invasive Exotic ◽  
Leaf N

The leaf properties and construction costs (CC) are reported for eight indigenous heath (kerangas)-forest species and three invasive (exotic) species of Acacia. Both groups of species co-occur and colonise disturbed lowland tropical heath-rainforest habitats in Brunei, Borneo Island. Across species, CC mass-based increased with nitrogen (N) and heat of combustion (HC), and decreased with ash content. CC area-based showed similar trends (although weaker in strength) in addition to significant positive correlation with leaf mass per unit area (LMA). Within the native species, the CCs of the shrub and small tree species were lower and significantly different from those of medium-sized tree species. Given the invasive success of the three acacias, it is hypothesised that these species may require less energy for biomass construction than do the native species. Within similar life growth form, no difference in CC mass-based was detected between the native trees and the invasive acacias. For CC area-based, the invasive Acacia species had a higher value. These findings failed to uphold our hypothesis. LMA and leaf N and phosphorus (P), but not potassium (K), were higher in the invasive acacias. The higher N and LMA could have been the cause of higher CC area-based in the invasive acacias. From the ordination of 11 species on the basis of leaf properties, the invasive and native species are more likely to be found in different groupings—although some native species seem more affiliated with the invasive than with their own guild, especially Alphitonia and Macaranga.

Invasive Exotic Species in the Sonoran Region

2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 203
Author(s):  
David L. Scarnecchia ◽  
Barbara Tellman
Keyword(s):  
Exotic Species ◽  
Invasive Exotic Species ◽  
Invasive Exotic

scholarly journals The effects of hybridization on the small-scale variation in seed-bank composition of a rare plant species, Erica ciliaris L.

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Rose
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Rare Plant ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Pure Species ◽  
Forestry Plantations

AbstractThe size and composition of the seed bank of a rare species (Erica ciliaris L.) was analysed. E. ciliaris hybridizes with a common relative in southern England (Erica tetralix). The seed banks of these co-occurring species were measured at a number of sites with a range of vegetation types and different management histories. Additional sets of samples were taken from forestry plantations on former heathland sites, where these species were known to occur. Relatively few hybrid seedlings were found in any of the seed-bank samples, even though their vegetative abundance within the sampling areas was equal to that of the pure plants. However, the abundance in the vegetation of the two pure species was reflected in the seed-bank size on each of the vegetation types, both with and without burning management. The seed banks from the forestry plantations show that the numbers of seeds of both E. tetralix and the hybrid were depleted, but that the seed bank of E. ciliaris was not significantly different from that of open heathland seed banks. The long-lived nature of the seed bank indicates that there are opportunities for habitat restoration on former heathland sites.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document