A HISTORY OF SOUTH FLORIDA GARDENING—A REVIEW OF MABEL WHITE DORN AND MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS' THE BOOK OF TWELVE FOR SOUTH FLORIDA GARDENS

Published by the South FL Garden Club in 1928, when Mabel Dorn was president and Marjory Stoneman Douglas—famous for championing the protection of the Everglades—was garden editor of the Miami Herald, The Book of Twelve lists twelve tried and true flowering and shade trees, large to small shrubs, etc. for southern Florida, but also includes some plants which are now tried and true invasive species. The book was reviewed in July 2004 by the Univ. of Florida (FL)/Miami-Dade Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) Extension Agent in response to a request from a local garden club, which as a club project, had decided to re-print and distribute the book to its 100 members. Because it might encourage the use of invasive species, the review was discussed at a seminar on ecologically sustainable alternatives to invasive species. One recommended plant, Schinus terebinthefolius (Brazilian pepper) is now prohibited by the FL Dept of Environmental Protection and considered a noxious weed by the FL Dept of Agric and Consumer Services. The FL Exotic Plant Pest Council (FEPPC) considers five plants Category I invasives, i.e., exotics altering native plant communities, displacing natives, changing community structures or ecology, or hybridizing with natives. These include Lantana camara, Lonicera japonica, Abrus precatorius and Asparagus africanus. Ten plants are FEPPC Category II invasives, exotics increasing in abundance or frequency, but not yet altering plant communities as extensively as Category I species: Cestrum diurnum, Murraya paniculata, Sesbania punicea, Cryptostegia grandiflora, Jasminum sambac, Antigonon leptopus, Macfadyena unguis-cati, Asystasia gangetica, Wedelia trilobata, and Tradescantia fluminensis.

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Comparing Effectiveness and Impacts of Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) Control Treatments and Herbivory on Plant Communities

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1614/ipsm-d-13-00004.1 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 459-469 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jeffrey S. Ward ◽

Scott C. Williams ◽

Thomas E. Worthley

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Initial Treatment ◽

Prescribed Burning ◽

Labor Cost ◽

Native Plant ◽

Minimal Impact ◽

Japanese Barberry ◽

Treatment Type

AbstractTwo factors that can degrade native plant community composition and structure, and hinder restoration efforts, are invasive species and chronic overbrowsing by ungulates such as white-tailed deer. Beginning in 2007, the effectiveness, costs, and impacts of Japanese barberry control treatments and herbivory on nonnative and native plant communities was examined at eight study areas over 4 to 5 yr. Prescribed burning and mechanical mowing by wood shredder or brush saw were utilized as initial treatments to reduce the aboveground portion of established barberry and were equally effective. Without a follow-up treatment, barberry had recovered to 56 to 81% of pretreatment levels 50 to 62 mo after initial treatment. Follow-up treatments in mid-summer to kill new sprouts included directed heating and foliar herbicide applications. Relative to untreated controls, follow-up treatments lowered barberry cover 50 to 62 mo after initial treatment by at least 72%. Although all follow-up treatments were equally effective, the labor cost of directed heating was four times higher than for herbicide applications. Follow-up treatment type (directed heating vs. herbicide) had minimal impact on species other than barberry. White-tailed deer herbivory had a larger impact on other species than did barberry control treatments. Native grass and fern cover was higher outside of exclosures. Areas inside exclosures had higher cover of Oriental bittersweet and multiflora rose, but not Japanese barberry. Thus, recovery of native communities will require more than simply removing the dominant invasive species where deer densities are high. Excellent reduction of Japanese barberry cover can be achieved using either directed heating or herbicides as follow-up treatments in a two-step process, but other invasive plants may become a problem when barberry is removed if deer populations are low.

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Assessing vulnerability and resistance to plant invasions A native community perspective

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1017/inp.2021.15 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-28

Author(s):

Inés Ibáñez ◽

Gang Liu ◽

Laís Petri ◽

Sam Schaffer-Morrison ◽

Sheila Schueller

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Invasive Plants ◽

Native Plants ◽

Biotic Resistance ◽

Plant Performance ◽

Enemy Release ◽

Native Plant ◽

Native Community ◽

Resistance To Invasion

Abstract Risk assessments of biological invasions rarely account for native species performance and community features, but this assessment could provide additional insights for management aimed at decreasing vulnerability or increasing resistance of a plant community to invasions. To gather information on the drivers of native plant communities’ vulnerability and resistance to invasion, we conducted a literature search and meta-analysis. From the data collected we compared native and invasive plant performance between sites with high and low levels of invasion. We then investigated under which conditions native performance increased, decreased, or did not change with respect to invasive plants. We analyzed data from 214 publications summing to 506 observations. There were six main drivers of vulnerability to invasion: disturbance, decrease in resources, increase in resources, lack of biotic resistance, lack of natural enemies, and differences in propagule availability between native and invasive species. The two mechanisms of vulnerability to invasion associated with a strong decline in native plant performance were propagule availability and lack of biotic resistance. Native plants marginally benefited from enemy release and from decreases in resources, while invasive plants strongly benefited from both increased resources and lack of enemies. Fluctuation of resources, decreases and increases, were strongly associated with higher invasive performance while native plants varied in their response. These differences were particularly strong in instances of decreasing water or nutrients, and of increasing light and nutrients. We found overall neutral to positive responses of native plant communities to disturbance; but natives were outperformed by invasive species when disturbance was caused by human activities. We identified ecosystem features associated with both vulnerability and resistance to invasion, then used our results to inform management aimed at protecting the native community.

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Plasticity of Plant N Uptake in Two Native Species in Response to Invasive Species

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10121075 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1075

Author(s):

Yi-Heng Hu ◽

Yu-Lu Zhou ◽

Jun-Qin Gao ◽

Xiao-Ya Zhang ◽

Ming-Hua Song ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Invasive Plants ◽

Plant Invasion ◽

Native Species ◽

N Uptake ◽

Alternanthera Philoxeroides ◽

Native Plant ◽

Species Identity ◽

Wedelia Trilobata ◽

Uptake Rates

Survival competition caused by limiting nutrients is often strong between invasive and native plant species. The effects of plant invasion on nutrient uptake in plant growth remain largely unclear. Clarifying how invasive plants affect N uptake by natives will provide a better understanding on mechanisms responsible for plant invasion. A 15N-labeling experiment was conducted using two common invasive species (Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. and Wedelia trilobata (L.) Hitchc.) and their native congeners (A. sessilis (L.) DC. and W. chinensis (Osbeck.) Merr.) to examine their growth and uptake of NH4+, NO3−, and glycine when grown in monocultures and mixed cultures. All plants were grown in a greenhouse for 70 days for labelling and biomass measurements. The main factor affecting N uptake by the four species was the form of N, rather than species identity. In all of the species, the most N was taken up in the form of NH4+, followed by NO3− and glycine. The two invasive species grew faster, with stable N-uptake patterns despite more moderate uptake rates of N than the native species. Native species were strongly affected by the invasive species. The presence of invasive species caused the N-uptake rates of the natives to be reduced, with altered N-uptake patterns, but did not substantially alter their growth rates. Native species reduced their N-uptake rates but increased N-use efficiency through altering N-uptake patterns in the presence of invasive plants. Such a flexible N-uptake pattern could be an important survival strategy for native plants in competition with invaders.

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Soil Microbes Alter the Diversity-Invasibility Relationship by Promoting a Complementarity Effect on Community Invasion Resistance

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1136323/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xiao-Yan Wang ◽

Song Gao ◽

Tong Chen ◽

Jiang Wang ◽

Fei-Hai Yu

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Species Richness ◽

Exotic Species ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Soil Microbes ◽

Exotic Plants ◽

Invasion Resistance ◽

Native Plant ◽

Complementarity Effect ◽

Negative Effect

Abstract Background Soil microbes can affect both the invasiveness of exotic plants and the invasibility of native plant communities, but it still remains unclear whether soil microbes can influence the relationship between native plant diversity and community invasibility.Methods We constructed native plant communities with three levels of species richness (one, three, or six species) in unsterilized or sterilized soil (i.e., with or without soil microbes) and either prevented their invasion by exotic plants or allowed them to be invaded by each of three exotic species (Solidago canadensis, Erigeron canadensis or Symphyotrichum subulatum), which are highly invasive in China. The soils conditioned by the native plant communities that were not invaded by the exotic species were used as soil microbe inocula to test whether species richness-induced differences in soil microbes affected the growth of each of the three invasive species.Results Compared with soils containing microbes, the absence of soil microbes weakened the negative species richness-invasibility relationship, indicating that soil microbes can contribute to higher invasion resistance in more diverse native plant communities. In the presence of soil microbes, the higher invasion resistance of more diverse communities was mainly ascribed to the complementarity effect. However, soil microbes from communities with a higher species richness did not have a stronger negative effect on the growth of any of the three invasive species. Conclusion Soil microbes can alter the diversity-invasibility relationship by promoting the complementarity effect on community invasion resistance. Our results highlight the importance of integrating the role of soil microbes when testing the diversity-invasibility hypothesis.

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Allelopathic effects of native plant species Dicranopteris dichotoma on invasive species Bidens pilosa and Eupatorium catarium

Allelopathy Journal ◽

10.26651/allelo.j/2019-48-1-1243 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 45-58

Author(s):

Gul J ◽

Y Zhang ◽

Q Liu

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Plant Species ◽

Native Plant ◽

Bidens Pilosa ◽

Native Plant Species ◽

Dicranopteris Dichotoma ◽

Allelopathic Effects

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Vegetation ecology with anthropic drivers and consequences

Progress in Physical Geography Earth and Environment ◽

10.1177/0309133321999371 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 030913332199937

Author(s):

George P Malanson ◽

Michelle L Talal ◽

Elizabeth R Pansing ◽

Scott B Franklin

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Invasive Species ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Fire Ecology ◽

Progress Report ◽

Processes Of Change ◽

Community Classification ◽

The Status ◽

Plant Community Classification ◽

Anthropogenic Drivers

Current research on vegetation makes a difference in people’s lives. Plant community classification is a backbone of land management, plant communities are changing in response to anthropogenic drivers, and the processes of change have impacts on ecosystem services. In the following progress report, we summarize the status of classification and recent research on vegetation responses to pollution, especially nitrogen deposition, invasive species, climate change, and land use and direct exploitation. Two areas with human feedbacks are underscored: fire ecology and urban ecology. Prominent questions at the current research frontier are highlighted with attention to new perspectives.

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Interactions between invasive plants and heavy metal stresses: a review

Journal of Plant Ecology ◽

10.1093/jpe/rtab100 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jian Li ◽

Zhanrui Leng ◽

Yueming Wu ◽

Yizhou Du ◽

Zhicong Dai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Invasive Plants ◽

Native Plants ◽

Escape Behavior ◽

Negative Influence ◽

Plant Litter ◽

Global Changes ◽

Native Plant ◽

Anthropogenic Contamination ◽

The Impact

Abstract Global changes have altered the distribution pattern of the plant communities, including invasive species. Anthropogenic contamination may reduce native plant resistance to the invasive species. Thus, the focus of the current review is on the contaminant biogeochemical behavior among native plants, invasive species and the soil within the plant-soil ecosystem to improve our understanding of the interactions between invasive plants and environmental stressors. Our studies together with synthesis of the literature showed that a) the impacts of invasive species on environmental stress were heterogeneous, b) the size of the impact was variable, and c) the influence types were multidirectional even within the same impact type. However, invasive plants showed self-protective mechanisms when exposed to heavy metals (HMs) and provided either positive or negative influence on the bioavailability and toxicity of HMs. On the other hand, HMs may favor plant invasion due to the widespread higher tolerance of invasive plants to HMS together with the “escape behavior” of native plants when exposed to toxic HM pollution. However, there has been no consensus on whether elemental compositions of invasive plants are different from the natives in the polluted regions. A quantitative research comparing plant, litter and soil contaminant contents between native plants and the invaders in a global context is an indispensable research focus in the future.

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Initial dispersal behavior and survival of non-native juvenile Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) in South Florida

BMC Zoology ◽

10.1186/s40850-021-00098-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shannon E. Pittman ◽

Ian A. Bartoszek

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Management Practices ◽

South Florida ◽

Movement Behavior ◽

Forested Wetland ◽

Common Source ◽

Vital Rates ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Dispersal Behavior ◽

Python Bivittatus

Abstract Background Dispersal behavior is a critical component of invasive species dynamics, impacting both spatial spread and population density. In South Florida, Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) are an invasive species that disrupt ecosystems and have the potential to expand their range northward. Control of python populations is limited by a lack of information on movement behavior and vital rates, especially within the younger age classes. We radio-tracked 28 Burmese pythons from hatching until natural mortality for approximately 3 years. Pythons were chosen from 4 clutches deposited by adult females in 4 different habitats: forested wetland, urban interface, upland pine, and agricultural interface. Results Known-fate survival estimate was 35.7% (95% CI = 18% - 53%) in the first 6 months, and only 2 snakes survived 3 years post hatching. Snakes moving through ‘natural’ habitats had higher survival than snakes dispersing through ‘modified’ habitats in the first 6- months post-hatching. Predation was the most common source of mortality. Snakes from the agricultural interface utilized canals and displayed the largest net movements. Conclusions Our results suggest that pythons may have lower survival if clutches are deposited in or near urbanized areas. Alternatively, juvenile pythons could quickly disperse to new locations by utilizing canals that facilitate linear movement. This study provides critical information about behavioral and life history characteristics of juvenile Burmese pythons that will inform management practices.

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