Academic literature on the topic 'Invasive plants – Australia'
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Journal articles on the topic "Invasive plants – Australia"
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Correia, Marta, Sílvia Castro, and Susana Rodríguez-Echeverría. "Reproductive success of Acacia longifolia (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) in native and invasive populations." Australian Journal of Botany 63, no. 5 (2015): 387. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt14318.
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The reproductive biology of exotic species affects their capacity to become naturalised and invasive in non-native areas. Selfing is a common trait in many invasive plants probably because it provides reproductive assurance under low availability of pollination vectors and sexual partners. Nonetheless, the predominantly self-incompatible Australian Acacia species are among the most aggressive plants worldwide. To address whether there have been changes in selfing ability and natural reproductive success of A. longifolia during invasion, we compared one population in the invaded area (Portugal) with one population in the native range (Australia). We specifically assessed floral traits, fruit set and offspring traits for selfing and open-pollination treatments. Within each pollination treatment, no differences were found between areas, suggesting that the level of self-compatibility has not changed during invasion. However, the number of aborted seeds and seed size were significantly different between pollination treatments in Australia but not in Portugal. There were significant differences in the number of seeds per pod and in seed weight between ranges. A lower number of aborted seeds, a higher number of fully developed seeds and a greater seed size were found in the invaded area for both pollination treatments. In spite of the low selfing ability of A. longifolia in the invaded area, there was an increase in the quantity and size of the seeds produced in the new region, even for self-pollinated fruits, which might contribute to A. longifolia invasiveness.
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Shaik, Razia S., Brendan J. Lepschi, David Gopurenko, Nigel A. R. Urwin, Geoffrey E. Burrows, and Leslie A. Weston. "An integrative morphological and molecular approach to identification of three Australian cucurbitaceous invasive weeds: Citrullus colocynthis, C. lanatus and Cucumis myriocarpus." Australian Systematic Botany 29, no. 5 (2016): 247. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sb16027.
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Camel melon (Citrullus lanatus), colocynth (Citrullus colocynthis) and prickly paddy melon (Cucumis myriocarpus) are summer-growing invasive weeds distributed throughout Australia. We used DNA-sequence information from samples collected across Australia and morphological data from glasshouse-grown plants to determine diagnostic features of these species, and to determine the infraspecific identity of Australian Citrullus lanatus and Cucumis myriocarpus. All species possessed distinct genotypes and haplotypes at nuclear G3pdh and chloroplast ycf6–psbM gene regions and could be easily identified on the basis of molecular phylogenetic analysis. A combination of vegetative, floral, fruit and seed characters also allowed for species identification at all developmental stages. On the basis of our morphological and molecular analyses, Australian camel melon and prickly paddy melon populations were identified as Citrullus lanatus var. citroides and Cucumis myriocarpus subsp. myriocarpus respectively.
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Aghighi, S., L. Fontanini, P. B. Yeoh, G. E. St J. Hardy, T. I. Burgess, and J. K. Scott. "A Conceptual Model to Describe the Decline of European Blackberry (Rubus anglocandicans), A Weed of National Significance in Australia." Plant Disease 98, no. 5 (May 2014): 580–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/pdis-11-13-1124-fe.
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Human activities have had an adverse impact on ecosystems on a global scale and have caused an unprecedented redispersal of organisms, with both plants and pathogens moving from their regions of origin to other parts of the world. Invasive plants are a potential threat to ecosystems globally, and their management costs tens of billions of dollars per annum. Rubus anglocandicans (European blackberry) is a serious invasive species in Australia. Herbicide and cultural control methods are generally inefficient or require multiple applications. Therefore, a biological control program using stem and leaf rust strains is the main option in Australia. However, biological control using rusts has been patchy, as host factors, climate, and weather can alter the impact of the rust at different locations. In 2007, Yeoh and Fontanini noticed that blackberry plants on the banks of the Donnelly and Warren rivers in the southwest of Western Australia were dying in areas that were being regularly monitored for the impact of rust as a biological control agent. The symptoms on blackberry became known as the disease “blackberry decline”. Continuous and intensive investigations are required to discover the different biotic and abiotic components associated with specific declines in plant populations. The only agent so far introduced to Australia for the biological control of blackberry is the rust Phragmidium violaceum.
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Lee, E., S. J. Wylie, and M. G. K. Jones. "First Report of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia’ Associated With Severe Stunting and Necrosis on the Invasive Weed Pelargonium capitatum in Western Australia." Plant Disease 94, no. 10 (October 2010): 1264. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/pdis-07-10-0477.
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Pelargonium capitatum (rose pelargonium) is a plant indigenous to southern Africa, originally brought to Western Australia for its ornamental qualities. It has since become naturalized in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region, recognized for its high level of species endemism, where it is a serious invasive weed in bushlands and coastal dunes. Since P. capitatum outcompetes native species it is listed among the top 10 most important coastal weeds of the region (3). In 2008, large patches of stunted, dying, and dead P. capitatum plants were observed within a population covering coastal dunes at Woodman Point, Western Australia (GPS coordinates 32°07′40.51″S, 115°45′28.39″E). Diseased plants had small misshapen leaves in clumps that were often chlorotic or pink, shortened internodes, and exhibited phylloidy typical of infection by a phytoplasma. From August 2009 to January 2010, samples from symptomatic and asymptomatic plants were collected from the site and from plants of an asymptomatic population at another site located on the Murdoch University campus nearby. DNA was extracted from 15 samples collected from symptomatic and asymptomatic plants at the dune site and from five at the campus site. Briefly, 2 to 5 g of leaf and stem tissue was cut into 5-mm pieces and shaken overnight in 30 ml of phosphate-buffered saline buffer. Supernatant was filtered and a pellet was collected by centrifugation. After resuspension in 500 μl of extraction buffer (200 mM Tris-HCl [pH 7.5] 250mM NaCl, 25mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate, and 2% polyvinylpyrrolidone), DNA was precipitated in 500 μl of cold isopropanol. Samples were tested for the presence of phytoplasma ribosomal 16S DNA by nested PCR using phytoplasma universal primers P1/P7 followed by amplification with primers Tint, R16mF2, and R16mR1 (1,2,4). Phytoplasma-specific DNA sequences were synthesized directly from amplicons using the above primers. Phytoplasma was detected from both symptomatic and asymptomatic plant samples collected from the dune site but not from the campus site. Analysis of the nine sequences obtained (GenBank Accession Nos. HM583339, HM583340, HM583341, HM583342, HM583343, HM583344, HM583345, HM583346, and HM583347) revealed high sequence identity between isolates (~99%) and with the ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia’ (16SrII) group of phytoplasmas (1,4). Presence of phytoplasma in symptomatic plants was confirmed by histological examination of stem sections stained with Dienes' stain. This finding is significant because there is potential for utilizing this phytoplasma to control P. capitatum where it has invaded ecologically significant sites, although its effect on indigenous plants must be determined first. Although phytoplasmas within the 16SrII group have been identified in Australia previously (1,4), to our knowledge, this is the first report of it infecting P. capitatum. References: (1) K. S. Gibb et al. Phytopathology 85:169, 1995. (2) D. E. Gundersen and I.-M. Lee. Phytopathol. Mediterr. 35:144, 1996. (3) B. M. J. Hussey et al. Western Weeds. A Guide to the Weeds of Western Australia. 2nd ed. Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Victoria Park, 2007. (4) M. Saqib et al. J. R. Soc. West. Aust. 90:175, 2007.
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Norton, Sally L., Colin K. Khoury, Chrystian C. Sosa, Nora P. Castañeda-Álvarez, Harold A. Achicanoy, and Steven Sotelo. "Priorities for enhancing the ex situ conservation and use of Australian crop wild relatives." Australian Journal of Botany 65, no. 8 (2017): 638. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/bt16236.
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Crop wild relatives – the wild cousins of cultivated plants – are increasingly recognised for their potential to contribute to the productivity, nutritional quality and sustainability of agricultural crops. However, the use of these genetic resources is dependent upon their conservation in genebanks and consequent availability to plant breeders, the status of which has not been comprehensively analysed in Australia. Such conservation assessments are given urgency by reports of increasing threats to natural populations due to habitat destruction, climate change, and invasive species, among other causes. Here we document Australian wild plants related to important food crops, and outline their priorities for ex situ conservation. Given that no major domesticated food plants originated in the country, Australia’s native flora of crop wild relatives is surprisingly rich, including potentially valuable cousins of banana, eggplant, melon, mung bean, pigeonpea, rice, sorghum, sweetpotato, soybean and yam. Species richness of the wild relatives of major food crops is concentrated in the northern and north-eastern tropical regions, in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, and Queensland. Geographic priorities for collecting of these taxa for ex situ conservation, due to the limited representation of their populations in genebanks, largely align with areas of high species richness. Proposed dam building and agricultural expansion in northern Australia make conservation action for these species more urgent. We outline key steps needed for enhancing the ex situ conservation of Australia’s heritage of major food crop wild relatives, and discuss the critical activities required to increase their use.
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Bean, Anthony R. "A new system for determining which plant species are indigenous in Australia." Australian Systematic Botany 20, no. 1 (2007): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sb06030.
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An examination of Floras and related literature from various countries of the world has revealed a wide range of interpretations and concepts for indigenous plants. Nevertheless, an indigenous plant species has been universally defined as one that was not deliberately or accidentally introduced by man. An important recent addendum to the ‘indigenous’ definition is that it must disperse from an area where it is considered native. Particularly problematic are the so-called ‘pantropical’ or ‘cosmopolitan’ plants. These species are usually invasive and abundant, but most could not have crossed major barriers without the assistance of humans, and hence should be regarded as non-native species throughout much of their range. The accurate assessment of the alien or indigenous status of these and other taxa has been hampered by a lack of knowledge about their geographic origins and dispersal ability. Australian botanists have frequently adhered to a concept of indigenous plants being any that were thought to be present before European settlement in their region of interest – 1788 for the Sydney area, and as late as the 1850s for northern Australia. This definition is unrealistic and unworkable, especially when considering the ‘pantropical’ species. The transport of plants by maritime traders and explorers into the Indonesian and west Pacific areas has occurred for at least the past 3000 years. European colonisation in those areas from the 16th century accelerated plant introductions. Some of those plant species undoubtedly made their way to Australia before European settlement. This paper presents explicit definitions for indigenous (native) or alien (exotic, introduced, non-indigenous) plant species in Australia. A system of assessment using a combination of ecological, phytogeographical and historical criteria (the EPH system) allows the determination of ‘origin status’ for individual species. As a case study, data are presented for 40 plant species of disputed origin status. These species are assessed against the criteria, and a recommended origin status given for Australian occurrences.
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Limbongan, Amelia A., Shane D. Campbell, and Victor J. Galea. "Novel Encapsulated Herbicide Delivery Mechanism: Its Efficacy in Mimosa Bush (Vachellia farnesiana) Control." Plants 10, no. 11 (November 18, 2021): 2505. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants10112505.
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Mimosa bush (Vachellia farnesiana) is an invasive woody weed widely distributed in Australia. While it can be controlled using several mechanical and chemical techniques, this study evaluated a novel herbicide delivery mechanism that minimizes the risk of spray drift and potential non-target damage. This method, developed by Bioherbicides Australia, involves the implantation of encapsulated granular herbicides into the stem of intact plants or into the stump after cutting off plants close to ground level (cut stumps). Trials were implemented near Moree (New South Wales, Australia) on intact (two experimental runs) plants and cut stumped (two experimental runs) plants. For each trial, an untreated control plus the conventional basal bark application of a liquid formulation of triclopyr + picloram mixed with diesel was included for comparison. Encapsulated glyphosate, aminopyralid + metsulfuron-methyl, hexazinone and clopyralid were also tested in all trials. In addition, encapsulated triclopyr + picloram, and metsulfuron-methyl were included in one of the intact plant trials. Aminopyralid + metsulfuron-methyl was consistently most effective on cut stump and intact plants, whilst clopyralid provided highest mortality when applied to cut stumps and single-stemmed intact plants. Particularly for multi-stemmed intact plants, clopyralid should be applied to each stem. Overall, the highest efficacy was achieved on single stemmed plants, but with further refinement of the technique, it should be possible to achieve similar results for multi-stemmed individuals. This method resulted in a reduction in the use of herbicide and environmental contamination while significantly improving speed of treatment.
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Xu, Weinan, Hua Li, Krishnapillai Sivasithamparam, Dieu Thi Tran, Michael G. K. Jones, Xin Chen, and Stephen J. Wylie. "Spillover of a Tobamovirus from the Australian Indigenous Flora to Invasive Weeds." Viruses 14, no. 8 (July 29, 2022): 1676. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v14081676.
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The tobamovirus yellow tailflower mild mottle virus (YTMMV) was previously reported in wild plants of Anthocercis species (family Solanaceae) and other solanaceous indigenous species growing in natural habitats in Western Australia. Here, we undertook a survey of two introduced solanaceous weeds, namely Solanum nigrum (black nightshade) and Physalis peruviana (cape gooseberry) in the Perth metropolitan area and surrounds to determine if YTMMV has spread naturally to these species. At a remnant natural bushland site where both solanaceous weeds and indigenous Anthocercis hosts grew adjacent to one another, a proportion of S. nigrum and P. peruviana plants were asymptomatically-infected with YTMMV, confirming spillover had occurred. Populations of S. nigrum also grow as weeds in parts of the city isolated from remnant bushland and indigenous sources of YTMMV, and some of these populations were also infected with YTMMV. Fruit was harvested from virus-infected wild S. nigrum plants and the seed germinated under controlled conditions. Up to 80% of resultant seedlings derived from infected parent plants were infected with YTMMV, confirming that the virus is vertically-transmitted in S. nigrum, and therefore infection appears to be self-sustaining in this species. This is the first report of spillover of YTMMV to exotic weeds, and of vertical transmission of this tobamovirus. We discuss the roles of vertical and horizontal transmission in this spillover event, and its implications for biosecurity.
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Fox, J. C., Y. M. Buckley, F. D. Panetta, J. Bourgoin, and D. Pullar. "Surveillance protocols for management of invasive plants: modelling Chilean needle grass (Nassella neesiana) in Australia." Diversity and Distributions 15, no. 4 (July 2009): 577–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2009.00562.x.
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ALLSOPP, PETER GEOFFREY, and PAUL HUTCHINSON. "Extralimital Dynastinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Australia." Journal of Insect Biodiversity 12, no. 2 (November 14, 2019): 48–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.12976/jib/2019.12.2.2.
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The identification, origin, introduction, establishment, spread and pest status of extralimital (introduced, those that naturally occur within and outside Australia, and possibly introduced but of uncertain origin) dynastines in Australia and its territories are reviewed. We examine likely introduction pathways and the species’ life histories and attempt to draw out factors that predispose some species to establish, naturalise and then become invasive. Six categories of extralimital dynastines are identified: established and have spread widely (invasive)—Cyclocephala signaticollis Burmeister, 1847, Heteronychus arator (Fabricius, 1775); established but have not spread widely (sleepers)—Oryctes rhinoceros (Linnaeus, 1758), Oryctoderus latitarsus Boisduval, 1835 (possibly), Papuana woodlarkiana (Montrouzier, 1855) (possibly), Temnorhynchus retusus (Fabricius, 1781); known from one or only a few specimens that have arrived but not established—H. parumpunctatus Burmeister, 1847, Or. centaurus Sternberg, 1910, Pa. angusta Arrow, 1914, Pentodon algerinus algerinus (Fuessly, 1778); with distributions that extend from New Guinea into northeastern Australia—Pa. woodlarkiana (possibly), Od. latitarsus (possibly), Xylotrupes carinulus Rowland, 2011; whose records within Australia are doubtful—Dipelicus integriceps (Fairmaire, 1877), D. montrouzieri (Reiche, 1860), Or. nasicornis (Linnaeus, 1758), Pa. tibialis Arrow, 1941, Phyllognathus degener Fairmaire, 1891; species whose identity is unclear—Carne’s (1981) enigmatic species. Characters that make a species an ideal tramp species are: adults feed and are active for an extended period after emergence; larval development is relatively quick; adults and larvae are associated with potted plants and lawn grasses; the native distribution is in the Southern Hemisphere so that life cycles are synchronised between original and introduced localities. Shipping ballast and potted plants were the probable major pathways of introduction, but now rapid air and land transport provide the means for movement into and within Australia of hitchhiker species. Key words: Dynastinae, introductions, exotic species, pest species, quarantine, biosecurity
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Invasive plants – Australia"
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Robinson, Todd Peter. "Application of advanced techniques for the remote detection, modelling and spatial analysis of mesquite (prosopis spp.) invasion in Western Australia." Thesis, Curtin University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/620.
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Invasive plants pose serious threats to economic, social and environmental interests throughout the world. Developing strategies for their management requires a range of information that is often impractical to collect from ground based surveys. In other cases, such as retrospective analyses of historical invasion rates and patterns, data is rarely, if ever, available from such surveys. Instead, historical archives of remotely sensed imagery provides one of the only existing records, and are used in this research to determine invasion rates and reconstruct invasion patterns of a ca 70 year old exotic mesquite population (Leguminoseae: Prosopis spp.) in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia, thereby helping to identify ways to reduce spread and infill. A model was then developed using this, and other, information to predict which parts of the Pilbara are most a risk. This information can assist in identifying areas requiring the most vigilant intervention and pre-emptive measures. Precise information of the location and areal extent of an invasive species is also crucial for land managers and policy makers for crafting management strategies aimed at control, confinement or eradication of some or all of the population. Therefore, the third component of this research was to develop and test high spectral and spatial resolution airborne imagery as a potential monitoring tool for tracking changes at various intervals and quantifying the effectiveness of management strategies adopted. To this end, high spatial resolution digital multispectral imagery (4 channels, 1 m spatial resolution) and hyperspectral imagery (126 channels, 3 m spatial resolution) was acquired and compared for its potential for distinguishing mesquite from coexisting species and land covers.These three modules of research are summarised hereafter. To examine the rates and patterns of mesquite invasion through space and time, canopies were extracted from a temporal series of panchromatic aerial photography over an area of 450 ha using unsupervised classification. Non-mesquite trees and shrubs were not discernible from mesquite using this imagery (or technique) and so were masked out using an image acquired prior to invasion. The accuracy of the mesquite extractions were corroborated in the field and found to be high (R2 = 0.98, P<0.001); however, accuracy varied between classes (R2 = 0.55 to 0.95). Additional sampling may be required in some of the wider class intervals, particularly the moderate density class (30 to 90%) as sampling frequency was poor within the range of 60 to 90%. This is a direct result of there being relatively few quadrats available to be randomly selected in this class. That is, quadrats with between 60-90% cover were only evident in 4% of the test area. A more robust approach would, therefore, be to split this class into two (e.g. 30-60% and 60-90%) and select an additional 15 quadrats in the 60-90% range. The resolution of the imagery (1.4 m) precluded mapping shrubs smaller than 3 m2. Rates and patterns were compared to mesquite invasions in its native range.It was determined that: (i) the shift from grass to mesquite domination had been rapid, with rates of increase in canopy cover comparable to invasive populations where it is native; (ii) rate of patch recruitment was high in all land types (stony flats, red-loamy soils and the riparian zone), but patch expansion and coalescence primarily occurred over the riparian zone and redloamy soils; (iii) mesquite had been spread by sheep and macropods and the recent switch to cattle is likely to exacerbate spread as it is a far more effective dispersal vector; and (iv) early successional patterns, such as high patch initiation followed by coalescence of existing stands are similar to where mesquite is native, but patch mortality did not occur. A knowledge based model was used to predict which parts of the Pilbara region are most at risk. Several limitations of models often employed in predicting suitability ranges of invasive plants were identified and include: (i) an inability to incorporate the notion that within a suitability range there is likely to be a scale of favourability; (ii) an inability to assign greater importance to evidence that is likely to have more importance in defining the areas suitable for invasion; and (iii) an inability to control the level of conservatism in the final results. These three shortcomings were mitigated through the use of: (i) fuzzy membership functions to derive a range of favourability from poor to best; (ii) pairwise comparison to derive higher weights for layers perceived to be more important and vice versa; and (iii) the use of ordered weighted averaging to directly control the level of conservatism (or risk) inherent in the models produced.Based on the outcomes of the historical reconstruction of spatial rates and patterns, data sources included land types, land use, and the derivation of a steady state wetness index from spot height data. Model outputs were evaluated using two methods: the area under the curves (AUC) produced from relative operating characteristic (ROC) plots and by the maximum Kappa procedure. Both techniques agreed that the model most representative of the validation data was the one assuming the most risk. To create a Boolean output representing areas suitable/not suitable for invasion, optimal cut-points were derived using the point closest to the top left hand corner of the ROC plot and by the maximum Kappa method. Both methods obtained identical cut-points, but it is argued that the coefficient produced by the maximum Kappa method is more easily interpreted. The highest AUC was found to be 0.87 and, based on the maximum Kappa method, can be described as good to very good agreement with the validation records used. Digital multispectral imagery (DMSI), acquired in the visible and near infrared portions of the spectrum (3 visible bands, 1 near infrared) with a spatial resolution of 1 m and hyperspectral imagery (126 bands, 3 m spatial resolution) was acquired to assess the potential of developing a reliable and repeatable mapping tool to facilitate the monitoring of spread and the effects of control efforts. Woody vegetation was extracted from the images using unsupervised classification and grouped into patches based on contiguity. Various statistics (e.g. maximum, minimum, median, mean, standard deviation, majority and variety) were assigned to these patches to garner more information for species separation.These statistics were explored for their ability to separate mesquite from coexisting species using Tukey’s Honestly Significantly Different (HSD) test and, to reduce redundancy, followed by linear discriminant analysis. Two approaches were taken to select the patch statistics offering the best discrimination. The first approach selected patch statistics that best discriminated all species (named “overall separation”). This was compared to a second approach, which selected the best patch statistics that separated each species from mesquite on a pairwise basis (named “pairwise separation”). The statistics offering the best discrimination were used as input in an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to assign class labels. An incremental cover evaluation, whereby producer’s accuracy was computed from mesquite patches grouped into various size-classes, showed that identification of mesquite patches smaller than 36 m2 was relatively low (43-51%) regardless of the method used for choosing between the patch statistics or image type. Accuracy improved for patches >36 m2 (66-94%) with both approaches and image types. However, both approaches used on the hyperspectral imagery were more reliable at capturing patches >36 m2 than the DMSI using either approach. The lowest omission and commission rates were obtained using pairwise separation on the hyperspectral imagery, which was significantly more accurate than DMSI using an overall separation approach (Z=2.78, P<0.05), but no significant differences were found between pairwise separation used on either media.Consequently, all methods and imagery types, except for DMSI processed using overall separation, are capable of accurately mapping mesquite patches >36 m2. However, hyperspectral imagery processed using pairwise separation appears to be superior, even though not statistically different to hyperspectral imagery processed using overall separation or DMSI processed using pairwise separation at the 95% confidence level. Mapping smaller patches may require the use of very high spatial resolution imagery, such as that achievable from unmanned airborne vehicles, coupled with a hyperspectral instrument. Alternatively, management may continue to rely on visual airborne surveys flown at low altitude and speed, which have proven to be capable at mapping small and isolated mesquite shrubs in the study area used in this research.
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Lenz, Tanja. "The effect of resource dynamics on invasive annual and native perennial grasses in grasslands of the mid-north of South Australia /." Title page, table of contents and abstract only, 2004. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phl575.pdf.
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Robinson, Todd Peter. "Application of advanced techniques for the remote detection, modelling and spatial analysis of mesquite (prosopis spp.) invasion in Western Australia." Curtin University of Technology, Department of Spatial Sciences, 2008. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=118290.
Full textAbstract:
Invasive plants pose serious threats to economic, social and environmental interests throughout the world. Developing strategies for their management requires a range of information that is often impractical to collect from ground based surveys. In other cases, such as retrospective analyses of historical invasion rates and patterns, data is rarely, if ever, available from such surveys. Instead, historical archives of remotely sensed imagery provides one of the only existing records, and are used in this research to determine invasion rates and reconstruct invasion patterns of a ca 70 year old exotic mesquite population (Leguminoseae: Prosopis spp.) in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia, thereby helping to identify ways to reduce spread and infill. A model was then developed using this, and other, information to predict which parts of the Pilbara are most a risk. This information can assist in identifying areas requiring the most vigilant intervention and pre-emptive measures. Precise information of the location and areal extent of an invasive species is also crucial for land managers and policy makers for crafting management strategies aimed at control, confinement or eradication of some or all of the population. Therefore, the third component of this research was to develop and test high spectral and spatial resolution airborne imagery as a potential monitoring tool for tracking changes at various intervals and quantifying the effectiveness of management strategies adopted. To this end, high spatial resolution digital multispectral imagery (4 channels, 1 m spatial resolution) and hyperspectral imagery (126 channels, 3 m spatial resolution) was acquired and compared for its potential for distinguishing mesquite from coexisting species and land covers.These three modules of research are summarised hereafter. To examine the rates and patterns of mesquite invasion through space and time, canopies were extracted from a temporal series of panchromatic aerial photography over an area of 450 ha using unsupervised classification. Non-mesquite trees and shrubs were not discernible from mesquite using this imagery (or technique) and so were masked out using an image acquired prior to invasion. The accuracy of the mesquite extractions were corroborated in the field and found to be high (R2 = 0.98, P<0.001); however, accuracy varied between classes (R2 = 0.55 to 0.95). Additional sampling may be required in some of the wider class intervals, particularly the moderate density class (30 to 90%) as sampling frequency was poor within the range of 60 to 90%. This is a direct result of there being relatively few quadrats available to be randomly selected in this class. That is, quadrats with between 60-90% cover were only evident in 4% of the test area. A more robust approach would, therefore, be to split this class into two (e.g. 30-60% and 60-90%) and select an additional 15 quadrats in the 60-90% range. The resolution of the imagery (1.4 m) precluded mapping shrubs smaller than 3 m2. Rates and patterns were compared to mesquite invasions in its native range.
It was determined that: (i) the shift from grass to mesquite domination had been rapid, with rates of increase in canopy cover comparable to invasive populations where it is native; (ii) rate of patch recruitment was high in all land types (stony flats, red-loamy soils and the riparian zone), but patch expansion and coalescence primarily occurred over the riparian zone and redloamy soils; (iii) mesquite had been spread by sheep and macropods and the recent switch to cattle is likely to exacerbate spread as it is a far more effective dispersal vector; and (iv) early successional patterns, such as high patch initiation followed by coalescence of existing stands are similar to where mesquite is native, but patch mortality did not occur. A knowledge based model was used to predict which parts of the Pilbara region are most at risk. Several limitations of models often employed in predicting suitability ranges of invasive plants were identified and include: (i) an inability to incorporate the notion that within a suitability range there is likely to be a scale of favourability; (ii) an inability to assign greater importance to evidence that is likely to have more importance in defining the areas suitable for invasion; and (iii) an inability to control the level of conservatism in the final results. These three shortcomings were mitigated through the use of: (i) fuzzy membership functions to derive a range of favourability from poor to best; (ii) pairwise comparison to derive higher weights for layers perceived to be more important and vice versa; and (iii) the use of ordered weighted averaging to directly control the level of conservatism (or risk) inherent in the models produced.
Based on the outcomes of the historical reconstruction of spatial rates and patterns, data sources included land types, land use, and the derivation of a steady state wetness index from spot height data. Model outputs were evaluated using two methods: the area under the curves (AUC) produced from relative operating characteristic (ROC) plots and by the maximum Kappa procedure. Both techniques agreed that the model most representative of the validation data was the one assuming the most risk. To create a Boolean output representing areas suitable/not suitable for invasion, optimal cut-points were derived using the point closest to the top left hand corner of the ROC plot and by the maximum Kappa method. Both methods obtained identical cut-points, but it is argued that the coefficient produced by the maximum Kappa method is more easily interpreted. The highest AUC was found to be 0.87 and, based on the maximum Kappa method, can be described as good to very good agreement with the validation records used. Digital multispectral imagery (DMSI), acquired in the visible and near infrared portions of the spectrum (3 visible bands, 1 near infrared) with a spatial resolution of 1 m and hyperspectral imagery (126 bands, 3 m spatial resolution) was acquired to assess the potential of developing a reliable and repeatable mapping tool to facilitate the monitoring of spread and the effects of control efforts. Woody vegetation was extracted from the images using unsupervised classification and grouped into patches based on contiguity. Various statistics (e.g. maximum, minimum, median, mean, standard deviation, majority and variety) were assigned to these patches to garner more information for species separation.
These statistics were explored for their ability to separate mesquite from coexisting species using Tukey’s Honestly Significantly Different (HSD) test and, to reduce redundancy, followed by linear discriminant analysis. Two approaches were taken to select the patch statistics offering the best discrimination. The first approach selected patch statistics that best discriminated all species (named “overall separation”). This was compared to a second approach, which selected the best patch statistics that separated each species from mesquite on a pairwise basis (named “pairwise separation”). The statistics offering the best discrimination were used as input in an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to assign class labels. An incremental cover evaluation, whereby producer’s accuracy was computed from mesquite patches grouped into various size-classes, showed that identification of mesquite patches smaller than 36 m2 was relatively low (43-51%) regardless of the method used for choosing between the patch statistics or image type. Accuracy improved for patches >36 m2 (66-94%) with both approaches and image types. However, both approaches used on the hyperspectral imagery were more reliable at capturing patches >36 m2 than the DMSI using either approach. The lowest omission and commission rates were obtained using pairwise separation on the hyperspectral imagery, which was significantly more accurate than DMSI using an overall separation approach (Z=2.78, P<0.05), but no significant differences were found between pairwise separation used on either media.
Consequently, all methods and imagery types, except for DMSI processed using overall separation, are capable of accurately mapping mesquite patches >36 m2. However, hyperspectral imagery processed using pairwise separation appears to be superior, even though not statistically different to hyperspectral imagery processed using overall separation or DMSI processed using pairwise separation at the 95% confidence level. Mapping smaller patches may require the use of very high spatial resolution imagery, such as that achievable from unmanned airborne vehicles, coupled with a hyperspectral instrument. Alternatively, management may continue to rely on visual airborne surveys flown at low altitude and speed, which have proven to be capable at mapping small and isolated mesquite shrubs in the study area used in this research.
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Gibson, Michelle Rene. "Invasive Australian acacias : reproductive biology and effects on native plant-pollinator communities in Cape fynbos." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20399.
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Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: My master’s research combines aspects of pollination biology and invasion biology to explore the invasive predictors and impacts of a globally invasive group of plants – Australian acacias. Specifically, I investigate the role of reproductive biology in their invasion success (Chapter 2), the impacts of a specific species, Acacia saligna, on native plant-pollinator communities in South Africa (Chapter 3), and if the impact of A. saligna on native plant species can be predicted, based on floral trait similarity (Chapter 4). Australian acacias possess many floral traits implicated in plant invasion success, including extensive, dense floral displays, prolific seed production, long-lived seed banks, and propensity for vegetative reproduction. In Chapter 2 of my thesis, co-authors and I investigate if such reproductive traits influence whether or not a species becomes invasive once it is introduced by qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing literature and data collected from published and unpublished data. We found that invasive species reach reproductive maturity earlier and are more commonly able to resprout. Our findings have important implications for management of existing Acacia invasions as well as the assessment and prevention of further introductions of Acacia species leading to invasion. Impacts of invasive plant species on native plant visitation and consequent reproduction are often negative and have important implications for future ecosystem health. Acacia saligna is a problematic woody invasive shrub in many Mediterranean regions, and in South Africa, it invades fynbos vegetation, which boasts one of the highest plant diversities per area in the world as well as many specialized pollination mutualisms. It blooms during the flowering peak of most native species and forms dense, showy floral displays, thus the possibility of pollinator-mediated interactions with co-flowering native species is high. In Chapter 3, I assess the impact of flowering A. saligna on insect visitation to co-flowering native species by conducting flower observations at both an invaded and uninvaded (control) site. One of the native species most-visited by native honeybees, Roepera fulva, had high flower visitor overlap with A. saligna and suffered significantly lower visitation from all insects and from bees when A. saligna was present than at the control site. The native honeybee appears to be the most important visitor to A. saligna as it was the most frequent and mobile. Due to its foraging efficiency and dominance in pollinator communities, Apis mellifera subsp. capensis could be an important mediator of the negative effect of A. saligna on co-flowering natives, especially those frequently visited by honeybees. The use of floral traits as predictors of a species’ effect on co-flowering plants via pollination is commonly used in pollination biology. In the fourth chapter of my thesis, I apply the predictive principle of floral traits on flower visitation to see if floral traits can predict the impact of an invasive plant species on co-flowering native species, and if so, which floral traits are the most important. Following the same flower observation protocol as Chapter 3, I assess two measures of invasion impact on native flowers – change in visitation rate to native plant species between invaded and uninvaded sites and flower visitor overlap between A. saligna and native species – and test for a correlation with floral trait similarity of native species to and A. saligna. Similarity of categorical traits and all traits combined (categorical and continuous) were significantly positively correlated with flower visitor overlap, indicating that native species with categorical traits similar to A. saligna were more likely to share flower visitors with A. saligna. Floral symmetry and shape similarity were the most important categorical traits in driving flower visitor overlap. Findings suggest an important link between categorical floral traits and ability to predict invasive plant impact on native flower-insect interactions; however, more comprehensive studies are required for conclusive results.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: My Meestersgraad se navorsing kombineer aspekte van bestuiwingsbiologie en indringerbiologie om ondersoek in te stel na die indringing-voorspelbaarheid en die impak van Australiese Akasias, 'n wêreldwye indringende groep van plante. Ek het spesifiek gekyk na die rol van voortplantingsbiologie in hul indringing sukses (Hoofstuk 2), die impak van 'n spesifieke spesie, Acacia saligna, op die inheemse plant-bestuiwer gemeenskappe in Suid-Afrika (Hoofstuk 3), en of die impak van Acacia saligna op inheemse plantspesies voorspel kan word, gebaseer is op die ooreenkomste in blomeienskappe (Hoofstuk 4). Australiese Akasias het baie voortplantingseienskappe wat geassisioeer word met plantindringing sukses, insluitend ‘n uitgebreide, digte blommedrag, uitermatige hoë saadproduksie, langlewende saadbank, en die geneigdheid vir vegetatiewe voortplanting. In hoofstuk 2 van my tesis, ondersoek ek en my medeskrywers of sulke voortplantingseienskappe beïnvloed of 'n spesie ‘n indringer raak, deur 'n ontleding van die literatuur en data wat versamel is uit gepubliseerde en ongepubliseerde data. Ons het gevind dat indringerspesies geslagsrypheid vroeër bereik en meer algemeen in staat is om weer uit te loop. Ons bevindinge het belangrike implikasies vir die bestuur van die bestaande Akasiastande sowel as die evaluering en die voorkoming van verdere vestiging van Akasia spesies wat lei tot indringers. Impakte van uitheemse plantspesies op inheemse plant-besoeke deur bestuiwers, en gevolglike voortplanting is dikwels negatief en het belangrike implikasies vir die toekomstige ekosisteem gesondheid. Acacia saligna is 'n problematiese houtagtige indringende struik in baie Mediterreense streke, en in Suid-Afrika. Dit dring in die Fynbos in, wat spog met een van die wêreld se hoogste plant diversiteit per oppervlak, sowel as baie gespesialiseerde bestuiwing-mutualismes. Dit blom gedurende die bloeiseisoen van die meeste inheemse spesies en vorm digte, pronkerige blomuitstallings, dus is die moontlikheid hoog vir bestuiwer-gemedieerde interaksies met inheemse spesies wat saam blom. In Hoofstuk 3, het ek die impak van Acacia saligna, op insek besoeke aan saamblommende inheemse spesies bepaal, deur waarnemings op beide ingedringde en natuurlike studie gebiede. Een van die inheemse spesies, Roepera fulva, wat die meeste besoek is deur inheemse heuningbye, het 'n hoë blom besoeker oorvleueling met Acacia saligna en het aansienlik minder besoeke van alle insekte en van bye gekry toe Acacia saligna teenwoordig was as by die natuurlike studie gebied. Die inheemse heuningby, Apis mellifera subsp. capensis, blyk die mees belangrikste besoeker aan Acacia saligna te wees aangesien dit die mees gereeldste en beweeglikste was. As gevolg van sy oorheersing in bestuiwer gemeenskappe, is die by 'n belangrike faktor van die negatiewe uitwerking van Acacia saligna op die inheemse plante wat dieselfde tyd blom, veral dié wat gereeld besoek word deur heuningbye. Die gebruik van blomeienskappe as voorspellers van 'n spesie se effek op saamblommende plante deur middel van bestuiwing, word algemeen gebruik in bestuiwingsbiologie. In die vierde hoofstuk van my tesis, het ek die voorspellende beginsel van die blomeienskappe op blombesoeking toegepas, om te sien of blomeienskappe die impak van 'n uitheemse plantspesie kan voorspel op saamblommende inheemse spesies, en indien wel, watter blomeienskappe die belangrikste is. Deur dieselfde blom waarneming protokol as in Hoofstuk 3 te gebruik, het ek twee maatstawwe van indringings impakte op inheemse blomme vergelyk - verandering in besoek gereeldheid aan inheemse plante tussen ingedringde en natuurlike studie gebiede en blom besoeker oorvleueling tussen die Acacia saligna en inheemse spesies – en die toets vir 'n korrelasie van blomeienskap ooreenkomste in inheemse spesies en Acacia saligna. Soortgelykheid van kategoriese eienskappe en al die eienskappe gekombineer (kategoriese en deurlopende) is beduidend positief gekorreleerd met blombesoeker oorvleueling, wat aandui dat inheemse spesies met kategoriese eienskappe soortgelyk aan Acacia saligna meer geneig was om blom besoekers te deel met Acacia saligna. Blom simmetrie en vorm ooreenkoms was die belangrikste kategoriese eienskappe wat ly tot blombesoeker oorvleueling. Bevindinge dui op 'n belangrike skakel tussen die die kategoriese blomeienskappe en die vermoë om indringerplant impakte op inheemse blom-insek interaksies te voorspel, alhoewel, meer omvattende studies nog nodig is.
DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology and the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University for research funding
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Kuntschik, Daniela Petenon. "1. Plantas invasoras nos trópicos: esperando a atenção mundial? 2. Abundância de sementes da palmeira invasora Archontophoenix cf. cunninghamiana na chuva e banco de sementes em um fragmento florestal em São Paulo, SP." Universidade de São Paulo, 2006. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/41/41134/tde-02122008-114832/.
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Resumo parte 1: A invasão biológica é uma das principais ameaças à biodiversidade em todo o mundo. Entretanto, apesar dos trópicos concentrarem a maior parcela desta diversidade, ainda é pouco e esparso o conhecimento científico disponível sobre plantas invasoras nos ecossistemas tropicais. Este capítulo tem como objetivo comparar a quantidade de trabalhos publicados sobre invasões biológicas por plantas terrestres em ambientes tropicais e não tropicais, assim como a abordagem seguida nesses artigos. Foram lidos, selecionados e revisados os artigos publicados no intervalo de 1995 a 2004, em oito revistas científicas de alto índice de impacto. Ao todo, foram encontrados 239 artigos sobre plantas invasoras, sendo que a maioria deles aborda ecossistemas da América do Norte e Europa. Este é um reflexo do desequilíbrio na produção científica atual, que não dá a devida atenção aos ambientes com a maior biodiversidade, sendo que esta recebe vários tipos de ameaças à sua conservação. Resumo parte 2: As palmeiras da espécie Archontophoenix cf. cunninghamiana são invasoras em um pequeno fragmento florestal na região metropolitana da cidade de São Paulo (SP). Este trabalho investigou a abundância das sementes dessa espécie na chuva e no banco de sementes nesse local. Foram coletadas cinqüenta amostras de solo e de sementes da chuva de sementes em doze coletas mensais. Os resultados indicam que a dispersão de sementes dessa espécie invasora é efetiva na mata e que há a possibilidade dessa espécie formar um banco de sementes sazonal. Portanto, o sucesso da invasão poderia ser explicado pela capacidade de dispersão dessa espécie na mata, assim como por outras características da espécie e pela baixa resistência à invasão da comunidade neste fragmento.Biological invasion is one of the worst threats to the world biodiversity. The actual extent of the impact of biological invasions in the tropics is still unknown. The aim of this chapter is to survey the literature published on plant invasions, comparing the material concerning the tropics with that regarding the rest of the world. 239 articles published in 8 ecological journals over the past ten years were reviewed. Most of them focused on temperate ecosystems, in North America and Europe. There is a weak effort on research concerning plant invasions in tropical ecosystems. Much more research is needed to evaluate the real scenario in the countries that contain the highest biodiversity of the world. The exotic palm Archontophoenix cf. cunninghamiana invaded a small forest fragment in São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil). The abundance of this species in the seed rain and seed bank were investigated. The results indicate that this species may form a seasonal seed bank in the soil and that the seed dispersal is effective in the community. The success of the invasion by this exotic palm can be attributed to its high dispersal ability and to the community high invasibility due to the isolation of the forest fragment.
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Rothman, Erin K. "Phragmites australis in a freshwater coastal wetland : implications for carbon dynamics." Connect to resource, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1194565332.
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Bergh, Nicola G. "Comparative water relations of indigenous and invasive Australian Proteaceae in fynbos." Bachelor's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26049.
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Water-use efficiency (WUE) as reflected in the leaf carbon stable isotope ratio was compared between co-occurring indigenous fynbos proteoids and invasive Australian hakeas H. sericea, H. gibbosa and H. suaveolens. At the driest site, H. suaveolens was slightly more WUE than several co-occurring proteoids; there was no significant difference between hakeas and proteas at the other sites. Transpiration rates of shoots and of whole trees were compared between Hakea sericea and Protea repens growing on Stellenboschberg northeast of Cape Town. Both measurements showed no real difference between the species and it is concluded that differences in water relations are not responsible for the highly competitive growth rates of hakeas in fynbos. It is hypothesised that hakeas may be able to vegetatively outcompete proteoids as a consequence of monopodial architecture and some ability to prevent shade-limitation of photosynthesis. A rough estimate of water loss due to transpiration and interception by H. sericea stands indicates that this species may have a significant effect on catchment water loss relative to open-canopy proteoid fynbos. This effect would be due not to transpiration rates of individual trees but to consistently high densities of mature hakea stands.
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Naude, Minette. "Fynbos riparian biogeochemistry and invasive Australian acacias." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20325.
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Thesis (MScConEcol)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Riparian ecotones, transitional areas between upland terrestrial communities and aquatic ecosystems, are very dynamic and complex ecosystems with intrinsic ecological properties differing in spatial structure, function and temporal dynamics. Riparian habitats along rivers of the Mediterranean south-western Cape are sensitive to environmental change and particularly vulnerable to invasion by invasive alien plants (IAPs), especially nitrogen-fixing Acacia spp., and yet relatively little work has focused on how riparian ecosystems in this region respond to such stressors. The important roles that intact riparian vegetation play in maintaining ecosystem integrity and services have been increasingly highlighted as we acknowledge the degradation of these habitats. While the Working for Water (WfW) programme has been shown to be very successful in eradicating IAPs in riparian zones in the short-term, the extent to which riparian ecosystems recover following alien clearing activities remains poorly understood. The results presented in this study addressed several different aspects of riparian structure and function and acts as a steppingstone for guiding future research and management in riparian zones by adding to the evaluation of the success of clearing initiatives and restoration thereof. The aim of this study was to assess plant functional type (PFT) cover, soil physical and chemical properties, and selected biogeochemical processes in natural, Acacia- invaded and cleared riparian ecotones and associated non-riparian upland fynbos. Fieldwork was performed in mountain and foothill sections of six perennial river systems within the south-western Cape. Eleven sites of three categories were chosen: four natural sites (uninvaded); four moderate to highly invaded sites (predominantly A. mearnsii); and three cleared sites (a formerly invaded site that had been cleared more than 7 years prior to the study). Within each site, four to five replicate plots were established along each of three geomorphological zones (wet bank, dry bank, and upland fynbos). Seasonal soil samples were collected for a period of one year. Results from this study showed that PFT cover and composition, soil physical and chemical properties and rates of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) mineralization differed amongst invasion status, between geomorphological zones and across seasons. Regarding most soil physical and chemical properties and indices N and P cycling, river floodplains (dry banks) were very similar to terrestrial uplands. Acacia spp. changes soil properties and affects plant functional attributes by i) enriching the system with N; ii) enhancing litter inputs; iii) altering soil physical properties; iv) changing the composition and reducing the cover of PFT; and v) enhancing P mineralization rates. Although measured soil physical and chemical properties and N and P mineralization rates were reduced to levels that were similar to or resembled the situation at natural areas, available inorganic N remained two times higher after more than seven years of clearance. Furthermore, cleared areas were characterized by sparse woody cover and a high cover of alien grasses. Correlations between soil silt and clay content and several soil properties measured in this and other studies indicates important linkages between soil texture and resource availability. Clearing Acacia spp. may initiate restoration of invaded riparian ecosystems, but changes in ecosystem function (e.g. elevated soil N availability) as a result of invasion may necessitate active restoration following the removal of the alien species. Active restoration under such conditions would be required to facilitate the restoration of cleared riparian communities. However, we still lack the mechanistic understanding around fynbos riparian recovery after clearing, as the success of restoration may depend on complex interaction and feedback cycles between plants and their physical environment. A greater comprehensive understanding of fynbos riparian ecological processes will not only improve the effectiveness of restoration initiatives by integrating science and management, but also advance the field of riparian ecology.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Rivier oewerwal-areas, oorgang gebiede tussen aangrensende terrestriële gemeenskappe en akwatiese ekosisteme, is baie dinamiese en komplekse ekosisteme met intrinsieke ekologiese eienskappe wat verskil in struktuur, funksie (bv. biogeochemie siklusse) en temporale dinamika. Oewerhabitatte langs riviere van die Mediterreense suid-wes Kaap is sensitief vir omgewingsveranderinge en kwesbaar vir indringing deur uitheemse plante (bekend as “invasive alien plants” (IAPs)), veral stikstof-fiksering Acacia spp., en relatief min werk het nog gefokus op hoe ekosisteme in die streek reageer op sulke veranderinge in die omgewing. Die belangrike rol wat gesonde oewerwal plantegroei speel in die handhawing van ekosisteemdienste- en integriteit, is al hoe meer uitgelig soos ons die agteruitgang van hierdie habitat in ag neem. Terwyl die Werk vir Water (WvW)-program al dat baie suksesvol was in die uitwissing van IAPs in oewersones in die kort termyn, is die mate waarin oewer-ekostelsels herstel na skoonmaakaksies swak verstaan. Fynbos oewerwal-areas is grootliks ingeneem deur houtagtige IAPs, veral stikstof fiksering Acacia spp. (soos Acacia mearnsii). Die resultate wat in hierdie studie aangebied is, het verskillende aspekte van oewer- struktuur en funksie aangespreek en dien as middel vir toekomstige navorsing en bestuur van oewerwal ekosisteme deur by te dra tot die evaluering van die sukses van skoonmaak inisiatiewe en die herstelproses daarvan. Die doel van hierdie projek was om die moontlikhede vir herstel van fynbos owerwal-ekostelsels te evalueer deur middel van verskeie grond- fisiese en chemiese eienskappe; plant funksionele groep dekking (genoem ‘plant functional types’ (PFT)); en geselekteerde grond biogeochemie prosesse in natuurlike, Acacia- aangetaste, en skoongemaakte rivierstelsels en nabygeleë terrestriese areas te vergelyk. Veldwerk is gedoen in bergstroom en voetheuwel rivierseksies van ses standhoudende rivierstelsels in Suid-wes Kaap, Suid Afrika. Van uit hierdie geselekteerde rivierstelsels is elf studie areas van drie kategorieë (of indringing status) gekies: vier natuurlike areas (nie aangetas); vier gematig- tot hoogs aangetaste areas (hoofsaaklik A. meanrsii); en drie skoongemaakte areas (rivieroewers wat meer as sewe jaar van te vore skoongemaak is). Binne elke studie area was vier tot vyf soortgelyke persele gevestig by elke van drie breë geomorfologiese sones: naamlik nat-, droë en hoogliggende terrestriese fynbos. Seisoenale grondmonsters vir 'n tydperk van een jaar is geneem. Resultate van hierdie studie het getoon dat PFT dekking en samestelling, grond fisiese- en chemiese eienskappe en N-mineralisasie en suur fosfatase aktiwiteit verskil tussen indringing status, geomorfologiese sones en oor seisoene. Ten opsigte van meeste grond fisiese en chemiese eienskappe en indekse van stikstof (N) en fosfor (P) siklusse kom die rivier vogregimes (droë oewersones) baie ooreen met die terrestriële gebiede. Aan die anderkant is die natbanksones gekenmerk deur grondeienskappe wat baie verskil van die ander twee geomorfologiese gebiede. Die gegewens ondersteun die hipotese dat indringing deur Acacia spp. verskeie grondeienskappe verander en plante se funksionele kenmerke beïnvloed deur i) die sisteem met voedingstowwe te verryk (veral N); ii) verhoog die toevoeging van plantmateriaal; iii) verander grond fisiese eienskappe; iv) verander die samestelling en verminder die dekking van PFT; v) en verhoog P biogeochemie. Hoewel grond fisiese -en chemiese eienskappe, en indekse van N en P mineralisasie verminder is tot vlakke wat soortgelyk aan natuurlike areas, het beskikbare anorganiese N twee keer hoër gebly by skoongemaakte gebiede. Nietemin, voorheen skoongemaakte gebiede is weer-binnegeval deur eksotiese grasse en die regenerasie of hertelling van inheemse fynbos gemeenskappe is taamlik beperk, veral houtagtige oewer struike en bome. Korrelasies tussen grond slik-en klei-inhoud en verskeie grondeienskappe gemeet in hierdie en ander studies dui op belangrike skakeling tussen die grondtekstuur en voedingstof beskikbaarheid. Die opruiming van Acacia spp. mag as aansporing dien vir die herstellingsproses van rivieroewerstelsels, maar veranderinge in die funksie van ekosisteme (bv. verhoogte grond N beskikbaarheid), as gevolg van indringing, mag aktiewe herstel noodsaak nadat die indringer spesies verwyder is. Aktiewe herstel onder sulke omstandighede sal verwag word om die herstel van skoongemaak oewer gemeenskappe te fasiliteer. Ons het wel egter nog 'n gebrek aan die meganistiese begrip in verband met die herstel van fynbos oewerwal areas na opruimings-inisiatiewe, sedert die sukses van herstel kan afhang van komplekse interaksie en terugvoer siklusse tussen die plante en hul fisiese omgewing. ʼn Meer omvattende begrip van fynbos rivieroewer ekologiese prosesse sal nie net die doeltreffendheid van opruimings-inisiatiewe deur die integrasie van wetenskaplike navorsing en bestuur verbeter nie, maar ook vooraf die gebied van rivieroewer-ekologie.
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Rohal, Christine B. "Invasive Phragmites australis Management in Great Salt Lake Wetlands: Context Dependency and Scale Effects on Vegetation and Seed Banks." DigitalCommons@USU, 2018. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7228.
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Invasive plants can outcompete native plants, replacing diverse plant communities with monocultures, which can negatively impact the whole ecosystem. One invasive plant, Phragmites australis, has invaded wetlands across North America. In Utah’s Great Salt Lake, it has greatly reduced the area of native plants that are important habitat for migratory birds. Here we describe experiments that assess multiple treatments for Phragmites removal and evaluate the return of native plants after Phragmites management. The treatments were applied to Phragmites patches at two scales (small 1/4-acre plots and large 3-acre plots) and across multiple sites to evaluate how patch size and environmental differences can influence the plants that return after Phragmites removal. The treatments (applied over 3 years and monitored two more) compared two different herbicides (glyphosate and imazapyr) and different herbicide and mowing timings. The treatments evaluated in the large patch study were 1.) untreated control 2.) fall glyphosate, winter mow, 3.) summer imazapyr, winter mow, 4.) summer glyphosate, winter mow. The treatments evaluated in the small patch study included treatments 1-4 above plus 5.) summer mow, fall glyphosate, 6.) summer mow, then black plastic solarization. In the small patches, we also monitored the seeds in the soil to assess how Phragmites management treatments can change the densities of Phragmites and native seeds. Fall glyphosate treatments were superior for Phragmites cover reduction. After the initial treatment, summer herbicide and mow treatments reduced Phragmites seed production, while fall glyphosate did not. Phragmites seeds were plentiful in the soil but were reduced following three years of all herbicide treatments. Native plant recovery following Phragmites management was extremely variable across sites. Sites with high soil moisture had better Phragmites removal and more native plants. But when flooding was deep, native plants were rare. Native seed density in the soil did not change due to Phragmites management, but soil seed densities were different across sites, which influenced native plant recruitment. Phragmites was removed more effectively and native plants returned in greater numbers in small patches compared with large. This was because small patches were typically near established native plant communities, which likely provided more native plant seeds and had hydrology that was less disturbed by human activity. In sites where native plants do not return after Phragmites management, practitioners may need to try revegetation with native plant seeds to restore important native plant communities.
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Mastalerz, Allison. "The role of ornamental gardening in forest plant invasions across an urban-rural gradient in Southwestern Ohio." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1377866412.
Full textBooks on the topic "Invasive plants – Australia"
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1928-, Totterdell C. J., ed. The old country: Australian landscapes, plants, and people. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
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Michael, Damian, and David Lindenmayer. Rocky Outcrops in Australia. CSIRO Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/9781486307913.
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Rocky outcrops are landscape features with disproportionately high biodiversity values relative to their size. They support specialised plants and animals, and a wide variety of endemic species. To Indigenous Australians, they are sacred places and provide valuable resources. Despite their ecological and cultural importance, many rocky outcrops and associated biota are threatened by agricultural and recreational activities, forestry and mining operations, invasive weeds, altered fire regimes and climate change.
Rocky Outcrops in Australia: Ecology, Conservation and Management contains chapters on why this habitat is important, the animals that live and depend on these formations, key threatening processes and how rocky outcrops can be managed to improve biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes, state forests and protected areas. This book will be an important reference for landholders, Landcare groups, naturalists interested in Australian wildlife and natural resource managers.
Recipient of the 2018 Whitley Certificate of Commendation for Landscape Zoology
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Williams, Geoff. Flowering of Australia's Rainforests. CSIRO Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/9781486314287.
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The Flowering of Australia’s Rainforests provides a comprehensive introduction to the pollination ecology, evolution and conservation of Australian rainforest plants, with particular emphasis on subtropical rainforests and their associated pollinators. This significantly expanded second edition includes new information on the impact of climate change, fire, fragmentation and invasive species.
Rainforests continue to be a focus of global conservation concern, not only from threats to biodiversity in general, but to pollinators specifically. Within Australia, this has been emphasised by recent cataclysmic fire impacts, ongoing extreme drought events, and the wider consideration of climate change. This second edition strengthens coverage of these issues beyond that of the first edition.
The Flowering of Australia’s Rainforests makes timely contributions to our understanding of the nature and function of the world’s pollinator fauna, plant-reproduction dependencies, and the evolutionary pathway that has brought them to their current state and function. Illustrated with 150 colour plates of major species and rainforest formations, this reference work will be of value to ecologists and field naturalists, botanists, conservation biologists, ecosystem managers and community groups involved in habitat restoration.
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Seddon, George. The Old Country: Australian Landscapes, Plants and People. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
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Seddon, George. The Old Country: Australian Landscapes, Plants and People. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
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Schaeffer, Curt Steven. The effects of mechanical, biological, and chemical treatments on an invasive plant, the giant reed (Phragmites australis) in a Lake Erie coastal wetland. 2001.
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Robin, Libby, Robert Heinsohn, and Leo Joseph, eds. Boom and Bust. CSIRO Publishing, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/9780643097094.
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In Boom and Bust, the authors draw on the natural history of Australia's charismatic birds to explore the relations between fauna, people and environment in a continent where variability is 'normal' and rainfall patterns not always seasonal. They consider changing ideas about deserts and how these have helped us understand birds and their behaviour in this driest of continents.
The book describes the responses of animals and plants to environmental variability and stress. It is also a cultural concept, when it is used to capture the patterns of change wrought by humans in Australia, where landscapes began to become cultural about 55,000 years ago as ecosystems responded to Aboriginal management. In 1788, the British settlement brought, almost simultaneously, both agricultural and industrial revolutions to a land previously managed by fire for hunting. How have birds responded to this second dramatic invasion?
Boom and Bust is also a tool for understanding global change. How can Australians in the 21st century better understand how to continue to live in this land as its conditions are still dynamically unfolding in response to the major anthropogenic changes to the whole Earth system?
This interdisciplinary collection is written in a straightforward and accessible style. Many of the writers are practising field specialists, and have woven their personal field work into the stories they tell about the birds.
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Blanche, Rosalind. Life in a Gall. CSIRO Publishing, 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/9780643106444.
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What are plant galls and how are they caused? This book introduces the Australian native insects that induce galls on plants and the plant species that host them. It explores the ways the insects have adapted to living part of their lives in the confined spaces of galls, and describes the strategies employed by different insect groups to find a suitable site to induce a gall, obtain food, mate and escape the gall.
Life in a Gall also looks at the predators, parasitoids, inquilines, kleptoparasites and micro-organisms that prey on gall-inducing insects and the ways the insects defend themselves from these enemies. It covers the problems gall-inducing insects can cause for agriculture, forestry and horticulture, and gives examples of several pest species. On the positive side, the book describes the essential services gall-inducing insects provide by pollinating figs, controlling invasive weeds and contributing to indigenous food.
The final chapter provides tips for people who want to collect and study galls, and shows that answering many of the questions still surrounding gall-inducing insects is not restricted to professional scientists but can be achieved by diligent amateurs too.
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Hutchings, Pat, Michael Kingsford, and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, eds. Great Barrier Reef. CSIRO Publishing, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/9781486308200.
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The iconic and beautiful Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is home to one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.
With contributions from international experts, this timely and fully updated second edition of The Great Barrier Reef describes the animals, plants and other organisms of the reef, as well as the biological, chemical and physical processes that influence them. It contains new chapters on shelf slopes and fisheries and addresses pressing issues such as climate change, ocean acidification, coral bleaching and disease, and invasive species.
The Great Barrier Reef is a must-read for the interested reef tourist, student, researcher and environmental manager. While it has an Australian focus, it can equally be used as a reference text for most Indo-Pacific coral reefs.
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Curtis, Lee K. Queensland's Threatened Animals. Edited by Andrew J. Dennis, Keith R. McDonald, Peter M. Kyne, and Stephen JS Debus. CSIRO Publishing, 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/9780643104563.
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Queensland is home to 70% of Australia’s native mammals (226 species), over 70% of native birds (630 species), just over half of the nation’s native reptiles (485) and native frogs (127), and more than 11 000 native plant species. Hundreds of these have a threatened status in Queensland. In order for Queensland to maintain and recover a healthy biodiversity we must address the serious problems faced by our natural environment – habitat loss, inappropriate land management, change in fire regimes, pollution of natural resources, proliferation of invasive species and climate change.
This book features up-to-date distribution data, photos and maps for most of Queensland’s threatened animals. It also includes a comprehensive list of resources, with key state, national and international organisations involved in the recovery and management of threatened species.
Queensland's Threatened Animals will provide vital information to scientists, educators, business entities, government agencies, students, community groups, environmental NGOs, regional NRMs and potential volunteers.
Book chapters on the topic "Invasive plants – Australia"
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Ruiz-Avila, R. J., and V. V. Klemm. "Management of Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L.f., an aquatic invasive weed of urban waterways in Western Australia." In Management and Ecology of Freshwater Plants, 187–90. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 1996. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5782-7_29.
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Shaik, Razia S., Saliya Gurusinghe, Leslie A. Weston, and Paul O. Downey. "A Historical Perspective on Plant Invasion in Australia." In Global Plant Invasions, 129–49. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89684-3_6.
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Setterfield, Samantha A., Michael M. Douglas, Aaron M. Petty, Peter Bayliss, Keith B. Ferdinands, and Steve Winderlich. "Invasive Plants in the Floodplains of Australia’s Kakadu National Park." In Plant Invasions in Protected Areas, 167–89. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7750-7_9.
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Colin, Ricardo, and Luis E. Eguiarte. "Genetic and Ecological Characterization of the Invasive Wetland Grasses Arundo donax and Phragmites australis in the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin." In Plant Diversity and Ecology in the Chihuahuan Desert, 241–63. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44963-6_15.
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Williams, O. B. "Population Dynamics of Australian Plant Communities, with Special Reference to the Invasion of Neophytes." In The Population Structure of Vegetation, 623–35. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 1985. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5500-4_26.
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Kloot, P. M. "Invasive plants of southern Australia." In Biogeography of Mediterranean Invasions, 131–44. Cambridge University Press, 1991. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511525544.014.
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Frawley, Jodi. "Adapting to Change in Australian Estuaries." In Environments of Empire, 176–96. University of North Carolina Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.5149/northcarolina/9781469655932.003.0009.
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In the 1880s, Eastern Australian estuaries supported thriving oyster industries. They supplied lime for building early in Australia’s development, but as cities and towns grew, it was the briny salty taste for this delicacy that saw the growth of the sector. When the oyster beds at the east coast of Australia became depleted, fishermen looked to New Zealand, where the same Oyster species grew, to supply cultivation stock for the Australian market. It was presumed that transfers would have the same impact as those already being moved within the Australian ecological networks. That is: it would present no problem at all. What was overlooked in this intercolonial exchange was the presence of the mudworm in the New Zealand estuaries. Mudworm co-habitats with oysters without killing them, but impedes the healthy development of the oysters making them inedible. This chapter places the mudworm at the center of a new narrative in the ecological networks of oysters. Rather than articulating the mudworm as a damaging invasive species, it argues that the mudworm was an agent of change that caused the fishermen to adjust their methods of oyster cultivation.
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Bristow, Mila, and J. Doland Nichols. "Invasive Plants in Australian Forests, with an Emphasis on Subtropics and Tropics." In Invasive Plants and Forest Ecosystems, 177–93. CRC Press, 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781420043389.ch11.
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"Invasive Plants in Australian Forests, with an Emphasis on Subtropics and Tropics." In Invasive Plants and Forest Ecosystems, 193–210. CRC Press, 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781420043389-17.
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Peters, Debra P. C., and Robert P. Gibbens. "Plant Communities in the Jornada Basin: The Dynamic Landscape." In Structure and Function of a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem. Oxford University Press, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195117769.003.0014.
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Plant communities of the Jornada Basin are characteristic of the northern Chihuahuan Desert both in structure and dynamics. Although a number of plant communities can be differentiated, five major vegetation types are often distinguished that differ in plant species cover and composition, as well as other factors, such as animal populations, soil properties, and elevation. These five types are black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) grasslands, playa grasslands, tarbush (Flourensia cernua) shrublands, creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) shrublands, and mesquite (Prosopis grandulosa) shrublands. Similar to many other parts of the Chihuahuan Desert, these plant communities have experienced major shifts in vegetation composition over the past 50–150 years (York and Dick-Peddie 1969). The most dramatic changes in vegetation and associated ecosystem processes have occurred as a result of a shift in life form due to woody plant encroachment into perennial grasslands (Grover and Musick 1990; Bahre and Shelton 1993). This encroachment of shrubs has occurred in many arid and semiarid regions of the world, including the Western United States, northern Mexico, southern Africa, South America, New Zealand, and Australia (McPherson 1997; Scholes and Archer 1997). A number of drivers have been implicated in these grass–shrub dynamics, including various combinations of livestock grazing, small animal activity, drought, changes in fire regime, and changes in climate (Humphrey 1958; Archer 1989; Allred 1996; Reynolds et al. 1997; Van Auken 2000). The causes of shrub invasion are quite variable and often poorly understood, although the consequences consistently lead to the process of desertification (Schlesinger et al. 1990). This chapter describes the characteristics of each vegetation type and the documented changes in each type at the Jornada Basin. We then discuss the key drivers influencing these dynamics. Vegetation in the Chihuahuan Desert region has been classified as desert-grassland transition (Shreve 1917), desert savanna (Shantz and Zon 1924), desert plains grasslands (Clements 1920), desert shrub grassland (Darrow 1944), and shrubsteppe (Kuchler 1964). Desert grassland is often used as a general descriptive name for the area (McClaran 1995), although landscapes at the Jornada and throughout the northern Chihuahuan Desert often consist of a mosaic of desert grasslands, Chihuahuan Desert shrublands, and plains-mesa sand scrub (Dick-Peddie 1993).
Conference papers on the topic "Invasive plants – Australia"
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Lach, Lori. "Invasion biology and ant-plant systems in Australia." In 2016 International Congress of Entomology. Entomological Society of America, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/ice.2016.91856.
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Taylor, Gary S. "Australian jumping plant lice and lerp insects (Hemiptera: Psylloidea): Species richness, systematics, invasives, and conservation." In 2016 International Congress of Entomology. Entomological Society of America, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/ice.2016.112279.
Full textReports on the topic "Invasive plants – Australia"
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Schad, Aaron, Gary Dick, Kris Erickson, Paul Fuhrmann, and Lynde Dodd. Vegetation community changes in response to phragmites management at Times Beach, Buffalo, New York. Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.), September 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/42149.
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Management of invasive phragmites (Phragmites australis [Cav.] Trin. Ex Steud.) in the United States has proven challenging over the last several decades. Various methods for control exist, but integrated approaches appear to have the most success. However, documentation of vegetation community–wide responses to these approaches remains limited. This study monitored plant community changes at Times Beach, New York, over a five-year period. In concert with mowing and thatch removal in all areas, the study evaluated two herbicides separately and together, representing three experimental treatment areas (TAs), for control efficacy by measuring plant community structure. Phragmites was targeted for treatments, avoiding native and nonproblematic non-native species when possible, to preserve beneficial habitat during phragmites control efforts. Monitoring results showed significant drops in phragmites relative cover, relative frequency, and importance values due to integrated management, regardless of herbicide treatment, with corresponding increases in these same values for native and other plant species. This suggests that prudent removal of phragmites is compatible with beneficial plant restorative efforts to maintain and improve habitat in infested areas.
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Boyle, Maxwell, and Elizabeth Rico. Terrestrial vegetation monitoring at Cape Hatteras National Seashore: 2019 data summary. National Park Service, January 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.36967/nrr-2290019.
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The Southeast Coast Network (SECN) conducts long-term terrestrial vegetation monitoring as part of the nationwide Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service (NPS). The vegetation community vital sign is one of the primary-tier resources identified by SECN park managers, and monitoring is currently conducted at 15 network parks (DeVivo et al. 2008). Monitoring plants and their associated communities over time allows for targeted understanding of ecosystems within the SECN geography, which provides managers information about the degree of change within their parks’ natural vegetation. The first year of conducting this monitoring effort at four SECN parks, including 52 plots on Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CAHA), was 2019. Twelve vegetation plots were established at Cape Hatteras NS in July and August. Data collected in each plot included species richness across multiple spatial scales, species-specific cover and constancy, species-specific woody stem seedling/sapling counts and adult tree (greater than 10 centimeters [3.9 inches {in}]) diameter at breast height (DBH), overall tree health, landform, soil, observed disturbance, and woody biomass (i.e., fuel load) estimates. This report summarizes the baseline (year 1) terrestrial vegetation data collected at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in 2019. Data were stratified across four dominant broadly defined habitats within the park (Maritime Tidal Wetlands, Maritime Nontidal Wetlands, Maritime Open Uplands, and Maritime Upland Forests and Shrublands) and four land parcels (Bodie Island, Buxton, Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island). Noteworthy findings include: A total of 265 vascular plant taxa (species or lower) were observed across 52 vegetation plots, including 13 species not previously documented within the park. The most frequently encountered species in each broadly defined habitat included: Maritime Tidal Wetlands: saltmeadow cordgrass Spartina patens), swallow-wort (Pattalias palustre), and marsh fimbry (Fimbristylis castanea) Maritime Nontidal Wetlands: common wax-myrtle (Morella cerifera), saltmeadow cordgrass, eastern poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans var. radicans), and saw greenbriar (Smilax bona-nox) Maritime Open Uplands: sea oats (Uniola paniculata), dune camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris), and seabeach evening-primrose (Oenothera humifusa) Maritime Upland Forests and Shrublands: : loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), southern/eastern red cedar (Juniperus silicicola + virginiana), common wax-myrtle, and live oak (Quercus virginiana). Five invasive species identified as either a Severe Threat (Rank 1) or Significant Threat (Rank 2) to native plants by the North Carolina Native Plant Society (Buchanan 2010) were found during this monitoring effort. These species (and their overall frequency of occurrence within all plots) included: alligatorweed (Alternanthera philoxeroides; 2%), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica; 10%), Japanese stilt-grass (Microstegium vimineum; 2%), European common reed (Phragmites australis; 8%), and common chickweed (Stellaria media; 2%). Eighteen rare species tracked by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (Robinson 2018) were found during this monitoring effort, including two species—cypress panicgrass (Dichanthelium caerulescens) and Gulf Coast spikerush (Eleocharis cellulosa)—listed as State Endangered by the Plant Conservation Program of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCPCP 2010). Southern/eastern red cedar was a dominant species within the tree stratum of both Maritime Nontidal Wetland and Maritime Upland Forest and Shrubland habitat types. Other dominant tree species within CAHA forests included loblolly pine, live oak, and Darlington oak (Quercus hemisphaerica). One hundred percent of the live swamp bay (Persea palustris) trees measured in these plots were experiencing declining vigor and observed with symptoms like those caused by laurel wilt......less
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Boyle, Maxwell, and Elizabeth Rico. Terrestrial vegetation monitoring at Fort Pulaski National Monument: 2019 data summary. National Park Service, December 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.36967/nrds-2288716.
Full textAbstract:
The Southeast Coast Network (SECN) conducts long-term terrestrial vegetation monitoring as part of the nationwide Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service (NPS). The vegetation community vital sign is one of the primary-tier resources identified by SECN park managers, and monitoring is currently conducted at 15 network parks (DeVivo et al. 2008). Monitoring plants and their associated communities over time allows for targeted understanding of ecosystems within the SECN geography, which provides managers information about the degree of change within their parks’ natural vegetation. 2019 marks the first year of conducting this monitoring effort on four SECN parks, including Fort Pulaski National Monument (FOPU). Twelve vegetation plots were established at Fort Pulaski National Monument in August. Data collected in each plot included species richness across multiple spatial scales, species-specific cover and constancy, species-specific woody stem seedling/sapling counts and adult tree (greater than 10 centimeters [3.9 inches {in}]) diameter at breast height (DBH), overall tree health, landform, soil, observed disturbance, and woody biomass (i.e., fuel load) estimates. This report summarizes the baseline (year 1) terrestrial vegetation data collected at Fort Pulaski National Monument in 2019. Data were stratified across two dominant broadly defined habitats within the park (Maritime Tidal Wetlands and Maritime Upland Forests and Shrublands). Noteworthy findings include: Sixty-six vascular plant taxa were observed across 12 vegetation plots, including six taxa not previously known from the park. Plots were located on both Cockspur and McQueen’s Island. The most frequently encountered species in each broadly defined habitat included: Maritime Tidal Wetlands: smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), perennial saltmarsh aster(Symphyotrichum enuifolium), and groundsel tree (Baccharis halimifolia) Maritime Upland Forests and Shrublands: yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), southern/eastern red cedar (Juniperus silicicola + virginiana), and cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto). Four non-native species identified as invasive by the Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council (GA-EPPC 2018) were found during this monitoring effort. These species (and their overall frequency of occurrence within all plots) included: Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica; 17%), bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum; 8%), Vasey’s grass (Paspalum urvillei; 8%), and European common reed (Phragmites australis; 8%). Two rare plants tracked by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR 2013) were found during this monitoring effort. These include Florida wild privet (Forestiera segregata) and Bosc’s bluet (Oldenlandia boscii). Southern/eastern red cedar and cabbage palmetto were the most dominant species within the tree stratum of the maritime Upland Forest and Shrubland habitat type. Species that dominated the sapling and seedling strata of this type included yaupon, cabbage palmetto, groundsel tree, and Carolina laurel cherry (Prunus caroliniana). The health status of sugarberry (Celtis laevigata)—a typical canopy species in maritime forests of the South Atlantic Coastal Plain--observed on park plots appeared to be in decline, with most stems experiencing elevated levels of dieback and low vigor. Over the past decade, this species has been experiencing unexplained high rates of dieback and mortality throughout its range in the Southeastern United States; current research is focusing on what may be causing these alarming die-off patterns. Duff and litter made up the majority of downed woody biomass (fuel loads) across FOPU vegetation plots.