scholarly journals „Dimitrie Brandza” Botanic Garden, Potential Centre for the Dispersal of Invasive Plants?

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia Nagodă ◽  
Petronela Comănescu ◽  
Paulina Anastasiu
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
General Public ◽  
Woody Plants ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Exotic Plants ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
Invasive Potential ◽  
Artificial Habitats

Abstract Botanic gardens are important centres for the conservation of plant diversity, but at the same time they can be responsible for plant invasions. As such it is paramount that botanic gardens evaluate their collections of exotic plants, monitor them and seek to minimise the risk of some species becoming invasive. In this context an evaluation of the collection of woody plants in the „Dimitrie Brandza” Botanic Garden, Bucharest, Romania was carried out, and it was established that although there are over 70 species with invasive potential, these do not represent a source of dispersal as the botanic garden is surrounded by artificial habitats undergoing regular maintenance. Nevertheless, indirectly, the Botanic Garden might have contributed to the process of invasion of some species as over the years it has offered vegetal material of plants known as invasive in international exchanges with other botanic gardens and even to the general public for private gardens.

Data Capture Project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

2009 ◽  
pp. 77-82
Author(s):  
Natacha Frachon ◽  
Martin Gardner ◽  
David Rae
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Royal Botanic Garden ◽  
Data Capture ◽  
Plant Biodiversity ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
The World ◽  
Plant Collections ◽  
Field Notes

Botanic gardens, with their large holdings of living plants collected from around the world, are important guardians of plant biodiversity, but acquiring and curating these genetic resources is enormously expensive. For these reasons it is crucial that botanic gardens document and curate their collections in order to gain the greatest benefit from the plants in their care. Great priority is given to making detailed field notes and the process of documentation is often continued during the plants formative years when being propagated. However, for the large majority of plants this process often stops once the material is planted in its final garden location. The Data Capture Project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is an attempt to document specific aspects of the plant collections so that the information captured can be of use to the research community even after the plants have died.

scholarly journals Exotic plants accumulate and share herbivores yet dominate communities via rapid growth

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Warwick J. Allen ◽  
Lauren P. Waller ◽  
Barbara I. P. Barratt ◽  
Ian A. Dickie ◽  
Jason M. Tylianakis
Keyword(s):  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Exotic Plants ◽  
Apparent Competition ◽  
Indirect Interactions ◽  
Soil Biota ◽  
Exotic Plant Invasion ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Invasion Hypotheses ◽  
Plant Herbivore ◽  
Invertebrate Herbivores

AbstractHerbivores may facilitate or impede exotic plant invasion, depending on their direct and indirect interactions with exotic plants relative to co-occurring natives. However, previous studies investigating direct effects have mostly used pairwise native-exotic comparisons with few enemies, reached conflicting conclusions, and largely overlooked indirect interactions such as apparent competition. Here, we ask whether native and exotic plants differ in their interactions with invertebrate herbivores. We manipulate and measure plant-herbivore and plant-soil biota interactions in 160 experimental mesocosm communities to test several invasion hypotheses. We find that compared with natives, exotic plants support higher herbivore diversity and biomass, and experience larger proportional biomass reductions from herbivory, regardless of whether specialist soil biota are present. Yet, exotics consistently dominate community biomass, likely due to their fast growth rates rather than strong potential to exert apparent competition on neighbors. We conclude that polyphagous invertebrate herbivores are unlikely to play significant direct or indirect roles in mediating plant invasions, especially for fast-growing exotic plants.

scholarly journals Building a Global System for the Conservation of all Plant Diversity

2016 ◽  
pp. 5-13
Author(s):  
Paul Smith
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Plant Conservation ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Global System ◽  
Wide Range

Botanic gardens and arboreta offer the opportunity to conserve and manage a wide range of plant diversity ex situ, and in situ in the broader landscape. The rationale that botanic gardens have a major role to play in preventing plant species extinctions is based on the assumptions that (1) there is no technical reason why any plant species should become extinct, and (2) that, as a professional community, botanic gardens possess a unique set of skills that encompass finding, identifying, collecting, conserving and growing plant diversity across the entire taxonomic spectrum. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is the pivotal centre of a global network of c. 2,600 botanic gardens and arboreta, which includes living collections representing at least one-third of known plant diversity; world class seed banks, glasshouses and tissue culture infrastructures; and technical knowledge networks covering all aspects of plant conservation. Following the example of the crop conservation community, BGCI is promoting the concept of a cost-effective, rational,botanic garden-centred Global System for the conservation and management of plant diversity.This system will aim to collect, conserve, characterise and cultivate samples from all of the world’s rare and threatened plants as an insurance policy against their extinction in the wild and as a source of plant material for human innovation, adaptation and resilience.

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 Exposure of Protected and Unprotected Forest to Plant Invasions in the Eastern United States

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt Riitters ◽  
Kevin Potter ◽  
Basil Iannone ◽  
Christopher Oswalt ◽  
Qinfeng Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Forest Protection

Research Highlights: We demonstrate a macroscale framework combining an invasibility model with forest inventory data, and evaluate regional forest exposure to harmful invasive plants under different types of forest protection. Background and Objectives: Protected areas are a fundamental component of natural resource conservation. The exposure of protected forests to invasive plants can impede achievement of conservation goals, and the effectiveness of protection for limiting forest invasions is uncertain. We conducted a macroscale assessment of the exposure of protected and unprotected forests to harmful invasive plants in the eastern United States. Materials and Methods: Invasibility (the probability that a forest site has been invaded) was estimated for 82,506 inventory plots from site and landscape attributes. The invaded forest area was estimated by using the inventory sample design to scale up plot invasibility estimates to all forest area. We compared the invasibility and the invaded forest area of seven categories of protection with that of de facto protected (publicly owned) forest and unprotected forest in 13 ecological provinces. Results: We estimate approximately 51% of the total forest area has been exposed to harmful invasive plants, including 30% of the protected forest, 38% of the de facto protected forest, and 56% of the unprotected forest. Based on cumulative invasibility, the relative exposure of protection categories depended on the assumed invasibility threshold. Based on the invaded forest area, the five least-exposed protection categories were wilderness area (13% invaded), national park (18%), sustainable use (26%), nature reserve (31%), and de facto protected Federal land (36%). Of the total uninvaded forest area, only 15% was protected and 14% had de facto protection. Conclusions: Any protection is better than none, and public ownership alone is as effective as some types of formal protection. Since most of the remaining uninvaded forest area is unprotected, landscape-level management strategies will provide the most opportunities to conserve it.

The identity of John Rattray, diatomist and collector on the Buccaneer expedition (1885–1886) to West Africa

Phytotaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 408 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-300
Author(s):  
ESTRELA FIGUEIREDO ◽  
DAVID WILLIAMS ◽  
GIDEON F. SMITH
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Royal Botanic Garden ◽  
West African ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
The West ◽  
West African Coast ◽  
African Coast ◽  
Royal Botanic Gardens ◽  
The 19Th Century

Herbarium records show that during the second half of the 19th century John Rattray collected several plant specimens at ports of call along the West African coast (Canary Islands, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana, São Tomé, Príncipe, and Angola). At the herbarium (K) of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, four such specimens are databased, three of which can be examined online. At the herbarium (E) of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, Scotland, 26 specimens are databased, twenty of which are imaged. All the specimens we examined have printed labels stating ‘Collected by John Rattray, H.M. Challenger Commission, Edinburgh’ with only a handwritten indication of the locality, for example ‘Loanda’ (Luanda, Angola). The collecting date has been omitted from the labels and there are no further details on the specimens. An investigation of the literature revealed that there is some confusion regarding the origin of the material and the identity of John Rattray, the collector.

scholarly journals Root flavonoids are related to enhanced AMF colonization of an invasive tree

AoB Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingchun Pei ◽  
Evan Siemann ◽  
Baoliang Tian ◽  
Jianqing Ding
Keyword(s):  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Introduced Populations ◽  
Native Populations ◽  
Invasive Tree

Abstract Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important mutualistic microbes in soil, which have capacity to form mutualistic associations with most land plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi play an important role in plant invasions and their interactions with invasive plants have received increasing attention. However, the chemical mechanisms underlying the interactions of AMF and invasive plants are still poorly understood. In this study we aim to test whether root secondary chemicals are related to enhanced AMF colonization and rapid growth in an invasive tree. We conducted a common garden experiment in China with Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) to examine the relationships among AMF colonization and secondary metabolites in roots of plants from introduced (USA) and native (China) populations. We found that AMF colonization rate was higher in introduced populations compared to native populations. Roots of plants from introduced populations had lower levels of phenolics and tannins, but higher levels of flavonoids than those of plants from native populations. Flavonoids were positively correlated with AMF colonization, and this relationship was especially strong for introduced populations. Besides, AMF colonization was positively correlated with plant biomass suggesting that higher root flavonoids and AMF colonization may impact plant performance. This suggests that higher root flavonoids in plants from introduced populations may promote AMF spore germination and/or attract hyphae to their roots, which may subsequently increase plant growth. Overall, our results support a scenario in which invasive plants enhance their AMF association and invasion success via genetic changes in their root flavonoid metabolism. These findings advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying plant invasion success and the evolutionary interactions between plants and AMF. Understanding such mechanisms of invasive plant success is critical for predicting and managing plant invasions in addition to providing important insights into the chemical mechanism of AMF–plant interactions.

scholarly journals Invasive Plants Distribution Modeling: A Tool for Tropical Biodiversity Conservation With Special Reference to Sri Lanka

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 194008291986426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Champika S. Kariyawasam ◽  
Lalit Kumar ◽  
Sujith S. Ratnayake
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Tropical Biodiversity ◽  
Distribution Modeling ◽  
Data Gap ◽  
Control And Management

The potential threats and habitat preferences of noxious plants in tropical countries are poorly known. Species distribution modeling (SDM) is a robust tool that can be used in conservation planning for early detection of invasion risks. However, the use of SDM for the strategic management of increasing risks of such plant invasions in Sri Lanka has not been undertaken due to several underlying reasons including the long-lasting data gap, technical, technological, and financial issues. In addition, the literature relevant to SDM applications in the country is substantially poor, scattered, and unpublished. Therefore, in this article, we explore SDM applications relevant to invasive plants in Sri Lanka with implications similar to other countries in the tropics. We examine the challenges and potentials for utilization of SDM technology in conservation planning in Sri Lanka and discuss data gap as a major obstacle. We also identify the potential SDM interventions relevant to invasive plants control and management in Sri Lanka and recommend conservation planners to prioritize them and apply for the strategic management of invasive plants in Sri Lanka. Finally, we suggest some recommendations to make an enabling environment in relevant institutions for the utilization of SDM technology in ecosystem management planning in Sri Lanka.

scholarly journals Novel chemistry of invasive exotic plants

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Cappuccino ◽  
J.Thor Arnason
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Secondary Compounds ◽  
Exotic Plants ◽  
Exotic Plant ◽  
Exotic Plant Species ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
The Many ◽  
Invasive Exotic ◽  
New Habitats

Of the many exotic plants that have become naturalized in North America, only a small proportion are pests capable of invading and dominating intact natural communities. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the most invasive plants are phytochemically unique in their new habitats. A comparison of exotic plant species that are highly invasive in North America with exotics that are widespread, but non-invasive revealed that the invasive plants were more likely to have potent secondary compounds that have not been reported from North American native plants. On average, the compounds found in the invasive plants were reported from fewer species, fewer genera and fewer families than those from non-invasive plants. Many of the unique phytochemicals from invasive plants have been reported to have multiple activities, including antiherbivore, antifungal, antimicrobial and allelopathic (phytotoxic) effects, which may provide the plants with several advantages in their new environments.

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