scholarly journals Ornamentals lead the way: global influences on plant invasions in the Caribbean

NeoBiota ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 177-197
Author(s):  
Julissa Rojas-Sandoval ◽  
James D. Ackerman
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Historical Factors ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Control And Management

Understanding the historical factors associated with the invasion success of alien species in a region may help us to identify sources, vectors, and pathways that are more likely to originate new invaders. Here, we gather data for traits related to the history of introduction (e.g., continent of origin, reason for introduction, and date of introduction) of 616 alien plant species listed as invasive on 18 island groups across the Caribbean region. We used these data to evaluate how human activity has influenced plant invasions on Caribbean islands over time and whether invasion success could be driven by traits of the introduction process. We found that significantly more invasive plants (54%) were intentionally introduced for ornamental reasons than for any other purpose. Most invaders in the Caribbean are native to Asia, South America, and Africa and the cumulative number of invasive species in this region has been steadily increasing during the last 200 years, but since 1850, this trend has been led by species introduced as ornamentals. We also found a significant association between continent of origin and reason of introduction, with more invaders than expected being ornamentals from Asia and America, and forage species from Africa. Our results show that introduced ornamentals are successfully invading all major habitats across the Caribbean, exacerbating conservation issues and threatening native biodiversity. Armed with knowledge of origins and reasons for introductions, effective biosecurity actions as well as control and management strategies can be better targeted to address the problem of invasive species in the region.

scholarly journals Capacidad de infección de hongos asociados a la pudrición seca de los tubérculos de ñame

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 149-158
Author(s):  
Diana Beatriz Sánchez-López ◽  
◽  
Lily Lorena Luna-Castellanos ◽  
Manuel Ramón Espinosa-Carvajal ◽  
Dairo Javier Pérez-Polo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerial Part ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Dioscorea Rotundata ◽  
Dry Rot ◽  
Fusarium Equiseti ◽  
Causative Agents ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Production Losses

Dry rot of tubers is one of the most devastating diseases in yam production (Dioscorea rotundata Poir.) in the Caribbean region of Colombia. The disease attacks tubers, causing production losses during cultivation. In previous experiments, 11 fungal morphotypes were isolated and associated with this disease in yam crops in the Caribbean region of Colombia. The present investigation was carried out under greenhouse conditions to determine the infection capacity of these 11 possible causative agents, in 150-day-old plants of two yam genetic materials (0307-49SB y 0307-50CB). The results indicated that morphotypes DH2 (Lasiodiplodia theobromae), DH11 (Curvularia aeria), DH20 (Aspergillus niger), and DH17 (Fusarium equiseti), showed the highest infection capacity to yam tubers, regardless of the genetic material. Therefore, they were considered as the main causal agents of the disease in the Caribbean region of Colombia. The remaining seven (7) morphotypes, despite having been inoculated in the roots of the plants, showed minor effects on tubers and affected other organs of the plant, especially stems and aerial part of yam plant. This study allows concentrating the research on these four morphotypes to develop crop management strategies that might allow reducing the incidence of this disease in the Caribbean region of Colombia.

scholarly journals Soil fauna may buffer the negative effects of drought on alien plant invasion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huifei Jin ◽  
Liang Chang ◽  
Mark van Kleunen ◽  
Yanjie Liu
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Production ◽  
Plant Invasion ◽  
Soil Fauna ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Native Community ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Grassland Species ◽  
Effects Of Drought

Assessing how climate change affects the potential invasion risk of alien plants has garnered considerable interest in ecology. Although many studies have tested the direct effects of drought on alien plant invasion, less is known about how drought affects alien plant invasion indirectly via other groups of organisms such as soil fauna. To test for such indirect effects, we grew single plant of nine naturalized alien target species in pot mesocosms with a native community of five native grassland species under four combinations of two drought (well-watered vs drought) and two soil-fauna (with vs without) treatments. We found that drought decreased the absolute and the relative biomass production of the alien target plants, and thus reduced their invasion success in the native community. Inoculation with a soil fauna increased the biomass of the native plant community and thereby decreased the relative biomass production of the alien species. The increased invasion resistance due to soil fauna tended (p = 0.09) to be stronger for plants growing under well-watered conditions than under drought. Our multispecies experiment shows for the first time that soil fauna might help native resident communities to resist alien plant invasions, but that this effect might be diminished by drought.

scholarly journals Hyptis spicigera (black sesame).

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shruti Dube
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Tropical Africa ◽  
Invasive Weed ◽  
Pasture Grass ◽  
Agricultural Weed ◽  
Annual Herb ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Evidence Of Impact ◽  
Savannah Zone

Abstract Hyptis spicigera is an annual herb possibly native to tropical and subtropical America but now widely naturalized in tropical Africa and Asia, and Australia. This species has become a widespread weed in the Guinea Savannah zone. Its seeds contaminate the pasture grass seed. H. spicigera is listed as an agricultural weed in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa (e.g. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria). It is considered an invasive weed in rice-growing areas in Madagascar with no further details. H. spicigera has also spread widely as a tropical weed in the Caribbean region, and is listed as an invasive species on the Global Register for Introduced and Invasive Species for Cuba with evidence of impact. H. spicigera is also listed in the 2017 edition of the Global Compendium of Weeds. This species received a high invasive risk score in an assessment of the invasive threat of introduced species in Australia.

scholarly journals Microsatellite characterisation and sex-typing in two invasive parakeet species, the monk parakeet Myiopsitta monachus and ring-necked parakeet Psittacula krameri

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 1543-1550
Author(s):  
Francesca S. E. Dawson Pell ◽  
Ben J. Hatchwell ◽  
Alba Ortega-Segalerva ◽  
Deborah A. Dawson ◽  
Gavin J. Horsburgh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Microsatellite Loci ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Sex Typing ◽  
Monk Parakeet ◽  
Myiopsitta Monachus ◽  
Psittacula Krameri ◽  
Scale Population ◽  
Negative Impacts

AbstractInvasive species can have wide-ranging negative impacts, and an understanding of the process and success of invasions can be vital to determine management strategies, mitigate impacts and predict range expansions of such species. Monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) and ring-necked parakeets (Psittacula krameri) are both widespread invasive species, but there has been little research into the genetic and social structure of these two species despite the potential links with invasion success. The aim of this study was to isolate novel microsatellite loci from the monk parakeet and characterise them in both monk and ring-necked parakeets in order to facilitate future investigations into their behaviour and population ecology. Sex-typing markers were also tested in both species. Of the 20 microsatellite loci assessed in 24 unrelated monk parakeets, 16 successfully amplified and were polymorphic displaying between 2 and 14 alleles (mean = 8.06). Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.43 to 0.93 and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.23 to 0.96. Nine of the 20 loci also successfully amplified and were polymorphic in the ring-necked parakeet, displaying between 2 and 10 alleles. Suitable markers to sex both species and a Z-linked microsatellite locus were identified. A multiplex marker set was validated for monk parakeets. These novel microsatellite loci will facilitate fine and broad-scale population genetic analyses of these two widespread invasive species.

African Caribbean Residents of Edinburgh in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Williams
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
British Empire ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
African Caribbean ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries

Scotland is gradually coming to terms with its involvement in slavery and colonialism as part of the British Empire. This article places the spotlight on the lives of African Caribbean people who were residents of Edinburgh during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. I discuss their varied experiences and contributions: from runaways and men fighting for their freedom in the Scottish courts to women working as servants in city households or marrying into Edinburgh high society. The nineteenth century saw activism among political radicals from abolitionists to anticolonialists; some of these figures studied and taught at Edinburgh University. Their stories reflect the Scottish capital’s many direct connections with the Caribbean region.

Wind Power Assessment In The Caribbean Region Of Colombia, Using Ten-Minute Wind Observations And Era5 Data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Andrés Gil Ruiz ◽  
Julio Eduardo Cañón Barriga ◽  
J. Alejandro Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Wind Power ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
The Caribbean

Temporal and Spatial Pattern of a Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) Invasion

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 310-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanying Zhao ◽  
Charles Goebel ◽  
John Cardina
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Lag Phase ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Invasion History ◽  
Cumulative Number

AbstractPrivet has escaped from cultivation and is invading natural areas throughout eastern North America. Understanding the pattern of invasion over time could help us develop more efficient management strategies. We studied the invasion history and spatial distribution pattern of privet by mapping age and spatial data for established patches in a 132-ha (326 ac) forested natural area in northeast Ohio. We determined the age of 331 geo-referenced patches by counting annual rings, and mapped them with corresponding land habitat. Age distribution and cumulative number of privet patches over about 40 yr showed three phases of invasion. The initial 19-yr lag phase was characterized as a dispersed spatial pattern (based on nearest neighbor analysis), with patches located mostly at edges of different habitats and open places. In a second phase of about 15 yr, an average of 19 patches were initiated yearly, in a pattern that trended towards clustered. The final phase began around 2007, as the rate of new patch establishment declined, possibly because of saturation of the suitable habitat. Establishment of new patches was not associated with specific habitats. Aggregation of patches with similar ages increased after 1998 and became significantly clustered. Mapping of clusters of old and young patches identified invasion hot spots and barriers. Results affirmed that the best time for invasive control is during the lag phase. By monitoring edge habitats associated with early establishment, managers might detect and control early invaders and delay the onset of the expansion phase.

scholarly journals Predicting Impacts of Climate Change on Northward Range Expansion of Invasive Weeds in South Korea

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1604
Author(s):  
Sun Hee Hong ◽  
Yong Ho Lee ◽  
Gaeun Lee ◽  
Do-Hun Lee ◽  
Pradeep Adhikari
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Southern Region ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Invasive Weeds ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
Control And Management

Predicting the distribution of invasive weeds under climate change is important for the early identification of areas that are susceptible to invasion and for the adoption of the best preventive measures. Here, we predicted the habitat suitability of 16 invasive weeds in response to climate change and land cover changes in South Korea using a maximum entropy modeling approach. Based on the predictions of the model, climate change is likely to increase habitat suitability. Currently, the area of moderately suitable and highly suitable habitats is estimated to be 8877.46 km2, and 990.29 km2, respectively, and these areas are expected to increase up to 496.52% by 2050 and 1439.65% by 2070 under the representative concentration pathways 4.5 scenario across the country. Although habitat suitability was estimated to be highest in the southern regions (<36° latitude), the central and northern regions are also predicted to have substantial increases in suitable habitat areas. Our study revealed that climate change would exacerbate the threat of northward weed invasions by shifting the climatic barriers of invasive weeds from the southern region. Thus, it is essential to initiate control and management strategies in the southern region to prevent further invasions into new areas.

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