scholarly journals Growth and Stem Profiles of Invasive Triadica sebifera in the Mississippi Coast of the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 569-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Tian ◽  
Zhaofei Fan ◽  
Thomas G. Matney ◽  
Emily B. Schultz
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jialiang Zhang ◽  
Evan Siemann ◽  
Baoliang Tian ◽  
Wei Huang ◽  
Jianqing Ding

Abstract Aims Seeds of many invasive plants germinate more quickly than those of native species, likely facilitating invasion success. Assessing the germination traits and seed properties simultaneously for introduced and native populations of an invasive plant is essential to understanding biological invasions. Here, we used Triadica sebifera as a study organism to examine intraspecific differences in seed germination together with seed characteristics. Methods We measured physical (volume, mass, coat hardness and coat thickness of seeds) and chemical (crude fat, soluble protein, sugar, gibberellins [GA] and abscisic acid [ABA] of kernels) properties of T. sebifera seeds collected in 2017 from 12 introduced (United States) populations and 12 native (China) populations and tested their germination rates and timing in a greenhouse experiment in China. Furthermore, we conducted an extra experiment in the United States using seeds collected in 2016 and 2017 to compare the effects of study sites (China vs. United States) and seed collection time (2016 vs. 2017) on seed germination. Important Findings Seeds from the introduced range germinated faster than those from the native range. Physical and chemical measurements showed that seeds from the introduced range were larger, had higher GA concentrations and GA:ABA ratio, but lower crude fat concentrations compared to those from the native range. There were no significant differences in seed mass, coat hardness and coat thickness or kernel ABA, soluble protein or sugar concentrations between seeds from introduced vs. native ranges. Germination rates were correlated between United States and China greenhouses but germination rates for populations varied between collection years. Our results suggest that larger seeds and higher GA likely contribute to faster germination, potentially facilitating T. sebifera invasion in the introduced range.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Nepal ◽  
W Keith Moser ◽  
Zhaofei Fan

Abstract Quantifying invasion severity of nonnative invasive plant species is vital for the development of appropriate mitigation and control measures. We examined more than 23,250 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots from the southern coastal states of the United States to develop an alternative method to classify and map the invasion severity of Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera). Remeasured FIA plot-level data were used to examine the spatiotemporal changes in the presence probability and cover percentage of tallow. Four invasion severity classes were identified by using the product of presence probability and cover percentage. Chinese tallow invasion severity increased over time with 90 and 123 counties being classified into the highest severity class for the first and second measurement, respectively. Further, the invasibility of major forest-type groups by severity class was examined using the product of the county-level mean presence probability and mean cover percentage of Chinese tallow as a proxy of invasibility. Longleaf/slash pine (Pinus palustris/P. elliottii) forests were highly resilient to the Chinese tallow invasion. In contrast, elm/ash/cottonwood (Ulmus spp./Fraxinus spp./Populus deltoides) and oak/gum/cypress (Quercus spp./Nyssa spp./Taxodium spp.) forest-type groups were vulnerable to invasion. Study Implications: In the southern United States forestland, differences in invasion severity and vulnerability of forest types to Chinese tallow invasion have been observed across time and space. Our findings provide insight into spatial variations in the severity of Chinese tallow invasion and the relative susceptibility of different forest-type groups in the region to inform monitoring and management of this invasive species. High invasion severity occurs in the lower Gulf of Mexico coastal region of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and the Atlantic coastal region of South Carolina and Georgia, with the longleaf/slash pine and oak/gum/cypress forest-type groups being most susceptible to Chinese tallow invasion. Based on these results, we recommend that management efforts be tailored to the different invasion severity classes. Forests in the high-severity class need a management program coordinated across different agencies and landowners to curb the increase of tallow populations to prevent stand replacing risks. The monitoring of Chinese tallow spread should focus on longleaf/slash pine, loblolly/shortleaf pine, and oak/gum/cypress groups, because the spread rate was higher in these forest-type groups. A better use of scarce resources could be to treat lands in the moderate- and low-severity classes to reduce the propagule pressure levels and post-invasion spread. For those counties with a minimal-severity condition, early detection and eradiction measures should be taken in a timely maner to prevent tallow from invading noninvaded neighboring counties. Managers may be able to treat a larger area of these lands for a given investment compared with lands already severely invaded.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory S. Wheeler ◽  
Jianqing Ding

AbstractBiological control is one of the most common approaches used to manage invasive weeds of wetlands and other natural areas. Before candidate agents can be released, research is conducted to support biological control, which can be protracted and expensive, leading to a scientific and potentially lengthy regulatory review. To increase biological control safety, efficacy, and transparency, we suggest that during the early phases of a weed project, the feasibility of the invasive plant as a target should be studied explicitly. Our purpose here is to summarize information of an important invasive weed that can serve to judge whether the project is appropriate. Chinese tallowtree, Triadica sebifera, is one of the worst invasive species invading coastal wetlands and other riparian areas of the southeastern United States. Current management practices have not controlled the spread of this weed into these sensitive habitats. Initial surveys in the plant's native Chinese range for potential biological control agents have recovered several herbivore species that could be developed. These potential agents include defoliators, root and foliage feeders, and gall formers, whose biology, apparent host specificity, and impacts on plant fitness suggest that biological control offers great promise against Chinese tallowtree. When conducted during the initial phase of a project, this type of feasibility study can address potential conflicts of interest and risks, ultimately producing projects that are more effective and safer for biological control.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Tian ◽  
Zhaofei Fan ◽  
Thomas G. Matney ◽  
Emily B. Schultz

Author(s):  
A. Hakam ◽  
J.T. Gau ◽  
M.L. Grove ◽  
B.A. Evans ◽  
M. Shuman ◽  
...  

Prostate adenocarcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of men in the United States and is the third leading cause of death in men. Despite attempts at early detection, there will be 244,000 new cases and 44,000 deaths from the disease in the United States in 1995. Therapeutic progress against this disease is hindered by an incomplete understanding of prostate epithelial cell biology, the availability of human tissues for in vitro experimentation, slow dissemination of information between prostate cancer research teams and the increasing pressure to “ stretch” research dollars at the same time staff reductions are occurring.To meet these challenges, we have used the correlative microscopy (CM) and client/server (C/S) computing to increase productivity while decreasing costs. Critical elements of our program are as follows:1) Establishing the Western Pennsylvania Genitourinary (GU) Tissue Bank which includes >100 prostates from patients with prostate adenocarcinoma as well as >20 normal prostates from transplant organ donors.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document