Evaluating the distribution of invasive woody vegetation around riparian corridors in relation to land use (original) (raw)
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2015
The spread of invasive species in riparian areas is an international problem and has resulted in significant loss of native species in riparian areas worldwide, including the east Alabama region. The objective of this study was to find the frequency and dominance of these invasive shrubs by surveying the extent of Ligustrum sinense (Chinese privet), Elaeagnus pungens (Silverthorn), and Tridica sebifera (Chinese Tallow tree) and its potential relation to urban land use in riparian areas of Auburn, AL. Historical land use may also be important to the current distribution of invasive plants. Using Chinese privet (one of the region's most pervasive species), we explored potential relationships between historical land use and colonization of Chinese privet in Auburn, AL. This study indicates that changes in distribution and richness of invasive plants are occurring in response to urban land use change in riparian areas. Urban sites were positively associated with dominance of invasive plants, primarily Chinese privet. Results of this research highlights the impacts of urbanization and historical land use on colonization and distribution of invasive plants in riparian forests.
2006
We documented the relationship between densities of invasive exotic shrubs, distance to road, and successional age of the forest in 14 forested sites throughout central and southern Indiana. Roadways are increasingly abundant, human-made features that can be conduits for the spread of invasive exotic plants in a number of ecosystems. Little is known, however, about the role of roads in eastern deciduous forest ecosystems where road density is high. Further, it is not known whether the distribution of exotic plants along roads depends on the successional age of the forest. In this study, densities of four of seven exotic shrub species declined with increasing distance to the nearest road across all successional ages. Greater densities of exotic shrubs were found in young and mid-successional forests than mature forests. However, there was no interaction between distance to road and forest age, suggesting that the role of roads in the invasion process does not change across forest successional ages. We outline several potential mechanisms that may drive patterns of shrub distribution along roadside edges as a guide for future research.
Non-native plants in the understory of riparian forests across a land use gradient in the Southeast
Urban Ecosystems, 2005
As urbanization expands into rural areas, an increase in the number of non-native plant species at the urban-rural interface is expected due in large part to the increased availability of propagules from ornamental plantings. A study investigating the distribution of non-native plants in the understories of riparian forests across an urban-to-rural gradient north of Columbus, GA was initiated in 2003. A significantly greater number of non-native plant species occurred at the urban sites and at one site at the urban-rural interface, where 20 to 33% of the species encountered were non-native. In contrast, at the more rural sites non-native species comprised 4-14% of the total number of species. However, the importance values of non-native species as a whole did not change significantly across the land use gradient due to the high frequency and abundance of three non-native species (Ligustrum sinense, Lonicera japonica, and Microstegium vimineum) in the majority of the watersheds. Reductions in species richness and overstory reproduction associated with these non-natives could impact long-term forest structure and ecosystem function.
Assessing invasive plant species in Louisville’s Urban Forest
Cities and the Environment, 2023
Assessing invasive plant species in Louisville's Urban Forest Assessing invasive plant species in Louisville's Urban Forest Within Louisville, KY's network of urban green space and forests, invasive plant management is vital to protecting biodiversity and allowing native species to thrive. Partners across the city have been working to identify non-native invasive species, map their spread, monitor how they affect native species, and mitigate damage from invasive plants. Much of that falls into three categories: 1) Mapping patterns of invasive plant presence in relation to disturbance 2) Recording the effects of various management practices and 3) Tracking forest health through the regeneration of native tree seedlings and saplings This data is used to inform management plans and falls under two broad categories: qualitative/ descriptive and quantitative/measured. Both data types work together to support a prioritization outline or triage plan for treatments and to understand the effects of land management practices.
Non-Indigenous Woody Invasive Plants in a Rural New England Town
Biological Invasions, 2004
We investigated the abundance of non-indigenous woody invasive plants in Farmington, Maine, a rural New England town in a forested landscape. We found 12 invasive species and more than 7 patches per km from surveys on 33 transects (54.3 km) along field edges, abandoned railroad right-of-ways, roadsides, and riparian zones. Invasive abundance was apparently lower than for more developed areas of the northeastern US, where, in contrast to western Maine, invasives have extensively penetrated forest interiors. Invasive abundance increased with the amount of landscaping and proximity to town, suggesting a close association between local horticulture and the spread of woody invasives. Invasive abundance and diversity were highest in riparian areas, probably due to relatively high levels of propagule pressure. Species differed in the extent of invasiveness, ranging from those still dependent on planted parent trees to fully invasive populations. The invasive species recorded in this study have caused environmental and economic damage elsewhere. The lower levels of invasiveness in Farmington are likely a result of the isolation, small human population, and forested landscape rather than low levels of invasibility. This suggests the potential for future risks, and the importance of intervention while populations can still be eradicated or controlled.
Forest restoration in urbanizing landscapes: interactions between land uses and exotic shrubs
2005
Abstract Preventing and controlling exotic plants remains a key challenge in any ecological restoration, and most efforts are currently aimed at local scales. We combined local-and landscape-scale approaches to identify factors that were most closely associated with invasion of riparian forests by exotic shrubs (Amur honeysuckle [Lonicera maackii] and Tatarian honeysuckle [L. tatarica]) in Ohio, USA Twenty sites were selected in mature riparian forests along a rural–urban gradient (< 1–47% urban land cover).
Journal of environmental management, 2015
We examined the spatial distribution, occurrence, and socioecological predictors of woody invasive plants (WIP) in two subtropical, coastal urban ecosystems: San Juan, Puerto Rico and Miami-Dade, United States. These two cities have similar climates and ecosystems typical of subtropical regions but differ in socioeconomics, topography, and urbanization processes. Using permanent plot data, available forest inventory protocols and statistical analyses of geographic and socioeconomic spatial predictors, we found that landscape level distribution and occurrence of WIPs was not clustered. We also characterized WIP composition and occurrence using logistic models, and found they were strongly related to the proportional area of residential land uses. However, the magnitude and trend of increase depended on median household income and grass cover. In San Juan, WIP occurrence was higher in areas of high residential cover when incomes were low or grass cover was low, whereas the opposite wa...
Biological Invasions, 2009
Land-use history as a predictor of invasive alien plant distributions has received little study, especially across large spatial and temporal scales. Here we evaluate the importance of land-use history and other environmental characteristics as predictors of the distributions of a suite important invasive woody plant species in the northeastern United States. Using historical aerial photographs, we delineated 69 years (1934-2003) of land-use change across a typically heterogeneous 95 km 2 landscape. We randomly surveyed over 500 sites for six invasive plant species. We found that land use history patterns strongly affected presence and abundance of the invasive plants as a group, but affected some species more than others. Generally, past agricultural use favored invasive species, whereas intact forest blocks discouraged them. Current land-use trends toward residential/commercial development favor disturbance-adapted species like Celastrus orbiculatus (asiatic bittersweet) and will probably slow the spread of post-agricultural specialists such as Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry). Keywords Land use history Á Remote sensing Á Invasive species Á Agricultural land use Á Berberis thunbergii Á Celastrus orbiculatus Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (
2012
In this chapter, we evaluate nonnative invasive plant species of the urban-rural-natural area gradient in order to reduce negative impacts of invasive plants on native species and ecosystems. This evaluation includes addressing (i) the concept of urban areas as the primary source of invasive plant species and characteristics of urban nonnative plants, including their documented impacts on associated native plants and biodiversity along the urban-rural-natural area gradient, (ii) the most vulnerable land uses and potential barriers to invasion along the urban-rural-natural area gradient, and (iii) possible mitigation of invasions and urbanization using restoration or rehabilitation. Finally, we introduce three possible solutions: (i) use of spatially explicit land use planning and management that places invasion barriers between the urban core and the rural-natural area interfaces, (ii) increasing native and exotic species interactions within the urban core and rural-natural area interface, thereby increasing the number of pathogen and enemy interactions or the loss of novel weapons, and (iii) changing the horticultural trade and people's behavior, such that propagule pressure is kept below threshold levels required by growing invasive plant populations. The rate of urbanization in the United States is increasing (Alig et al., 2004); more than 8% of U.S. land may be classified as urban by the year 2050 (Nowak and Walton, 2005). Urbanization rates are on the rise globally as well (United Nations Population Division, 2006; Grimm et al., 2008). Among other ecological impacts, the expansion of urban areas is potentially increasing the rate of plant invasions and the extent of their corresponding effects on native plant species (Kareiva et al., 2007; McDonald et al., 2008; Williams et al., 2009). The goal of this chapter is to evaluate the reduction and containment of nonnative invasive plant species along the urban-rural-natural area continuum to prevent or alleviate their negative impacts on native species. Such negative impacts include local and global homogenization of plant species (McKinney, 2006), native species and community compositional changes, the displacement of native plant populations (Moffatt et al., 2004), and cascading effects on associated fauna (Callaway and Maron, 2006; Kagata and Ohgushi, 2006). We have organized this chapter into three sections: (i) urban areas as biodiversity hot spots and the primary source of nonnative invasive plant species, (ii) the urban-rural-natural area gradient in which both sites vulnerable to invasion and potential barriers to invasion
The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society, 2008
Assessing the influence of historical factors, contemporary processes, and environmental conditions on the distribution of invasive species. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 135: 260-271. 2008.-Despite concern over potential detrimental effects of nonnative invasive species on human and natural systems, the factors controlling regional distributions of invasive species remain unresolved. Few studies have evaluated the influence of both environmental factors and disturbance history on invasive species distributions, or assessed synthetically the importance of landscape-level disturbances like historical land-use, forest harvesting, and contemporary forest fragmentation. We analyzed vegetation, soils, and recent and historical land-use and landscape context for forests across central and western Massachusetts to identify controls on invasive species distributions. Almost half (49.3%) of 148 randomly selected sites had at least one non-native invasive plant present, and invasive species occurred more frequently on former agricultural sites than in continuous woodlands. We used logistic regression to model the probability of finding the four most common species: Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii DC), glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula L.), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora Thunb. ex Murr.), and oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculata Thunb.). Soil richness was the most important predictor of invasive presence, with rich soils (i.e., lower C:N) being more likely to have these species. The structure of the current forested landscape (i.e., the amount of forest within a 10 km buffer around a site) is also important, with sites that are surrounded by more forest being less likely to have invasives. After accounting for variation in C:N ratios and the structure of the current forested landscape, historical land-use was not a significant predictor of non-native species occurrence; however, C:N ratios may be influenced by historical land-use and by current vegetation, thus complicating interpretations of this edaphic variable. Recent forest harvesting increased the likelihood of invasive occurrence for some but not all species. Overall, our results suggest that regional patterns of invasive plant distributions result from a complex function of edaphic conditions, and present and historical land-uses.