scholarly journals Determinants of native and non-native plant community structure on an oceanic island

Ecosphere ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. e01927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shishir Paudel ◽  
Juan C. Benavides ◽  
Beau MacDonald ◽  
Travis Longcore ◽  
Gail W. T. Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Oceanic Island ◽  
Plant Community Structure ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Native Plant Community

scholarly journals Meta-Analysis of Exotic Forages as Invasive Plants in Complex Multi-Functioning Landscapes

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Derek Scasta ◽  
David M. Engle ◽  
Samuel D. Fuhlendorf ◽  
Daren D. Redfearn ◽  
Terrance G. Bidwell
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Plant Community Structure ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Forage Species ◽  
Negative Effect

AbstractIntroducing exotic forages in the attempt to enhance livestock and wildlife forage has been practiced widely for over a century. These forage species are selected for traits conferring persistence under stress, potentially yielding invaders that transform native plant communities. Using standardized systematic review guidelines and meta-analytical techniques we quantified effects of exotic forage invasion on change of native plant community structure, and compared the magnitude and direction of change across exotic forage species, plant functional groups, and structure of plant communities. Our study of 13 exotic forage species in North America (six C4 grasses, three C3 grasses, and four legumes) yielded 35 papers with quantitative data from 64 case studies. Nine of the 13 species met our inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. The overall effect of exotic forage invasion on native plant communities was negative (Ē̄ = −0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.29 to −0.25). The effect size was most negative for two C4 grasses, Lehmann lovegrass and Old World bluestems. A negative effect was also expressed by C3 and C4 grass functional groups, and these effects were stronger than for legumes. Effect size differed among measures of plant community structure, with the greatest negative effect on native plant biomass and the least negative effect on species evenness. Weighted fail-safe numbers indicated publication bias was not an issue. Exotic forage species are important for agricultural production but may threaten complex multi-functioning landscapes and should be considered as a subset of potentially invasive exotic species. Characteristics making exotic forages different from other exotic plants hinge on pathways of selection and dispersion: selection is based on persistence mechanisms similar to characteristics of invasive plants; dispersion by humans is intentional across expansive geographic regions. Exotic forages present a complex socio-ecological problem exacerbated by disconnected scientific disciplines, competing interests between policy and science, and organized efforts to increase food production.

Relating pine-litter intrusion to plant-community structure in native eucalypt woodland adjacent to Pinus radiata (Pinaceae) plantations

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C. Baker ◽  
Brad R. Murray ◽  
Grant C. Hose
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Radiata Pine ◽  
Plant Community Structure ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Eucalypt Woodland

Radiata pine (Pinus radiata D.Don) plantations are often found in close proximity to vegetation set aside for biodiversity conservation. We examined the intrusive effects of radiata pine beyond the confines of plantations by quantifying the penetration of pine litter (needles, cones, twigs and seeds) and wildings from plantations into adjacent eucalypt woodland in the Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve (south-eastern Australia). We then investigated the relationship between pine-litter intrusion and plant-community structure in adjacent woodland vegetation. We found significantly higher quantities of pine litter and wildings at all sites adjacent to plantations than at reference woodland sites that were not adjacent to plantations. At adjacent sites, pine litter decreased significantly with increasing distance from plantations. Alarmingly, native plant species richness declined and exotic plant species richness increased with increasing quantities of pine litter. Thus, there were fewer native plant species and more exotics in areas bordering pine plantations. Our findings suggest a potentially important link between the intrusion of pine litter and a loss of native biodiversity and facilitation of exotic-species invasion. We suggest the provision of a buffer zone around plantations in order to minimise intrusive impacts of plantations on native biodiversity.

Fitness costs of butterfly oviposition on a lethal non-native plant in a mixed native and non-native plant community

Oecologia ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 172 (3) ◽  
pp. 823-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mifuyu Nakajima ◽  
Carol L. Boggs ◽  
Sallie Bailey ◽  
Jennifer Reithel ◽  
Timothy Paape
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Fitness Costs ◽  
Native Plant Community
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