Effects of Lespedeza Cuneata, an Invasive Species, on a Successional Old-field Plant Community PDF Download

Author: Alice Laurel Brandon
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Author: Eric Ntiamoah
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3346113604
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 56

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Master's Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Biology - Botany, grade: 3.6, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (Graduate School), course: Environmental Science, language: English, abstract: Sericea lespedeza is an aggressive invasive plant which can suppress and displace native plant species in grasslands and prairies in the United States. The goal of the study is to determine how large the seed bank of lespedeza might be. Furthermore, the author tries to determine if a pre-emergent herbicide treatment could suppress Lespedeza germination and whether this provided benefits to a typical native species propagated into the site. In the work, the author first characterized the soil seed bank at different invaded sites on SIUE campus using the seedling emergence method. In the second part, the author assessed the success of a pre-emergent herbicide in preventing the germination of lespedeza seed bank after lespedeza removal. The growth of a native grass (Sorghastrum nutans) as a replacement species has also been evaluated. Currently Sericea lespedeza is rapidly spreading throughout the U.S and has been estimated to eventually invade about 61percent of the total land area. Lespedeza has become a successful colonizer because of its ability to tolerate and thrive under a wide range of environmental and soil conditions. Once established, lespedeza is very difficult to remove due to its persistent seed bank which can remain viable for years. To successfully control lespedeza, we must find effective ways to suppress or kill seeds in the soil, but this has received little research attention.

Author: Matthew Steven Hodges
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Invasive plant species present a growing threat to biodiversity. Many invasive plants are able to recruit microbial symbionts in their novel range and establish plant-soil feedbacks that influence growth and fitness. These alterations, referred to as soil legacy effects, can linger for decades after the removal of invasive species and impact efforts to restore native plant populations. The process of restoring organisms and their interactions with one another, referred to as ecological restoration, occurs by repairing these damages and alterations to ecosystem diversity and ecosystem dynamics. In a series of growth room experiments, I analyzed the plant-soil feedback of an invasive legume, Lespedeza cuneata, and how soil legacy effects caused by invasion and use of glyphosate herbicide influence the growth and competitive interactions of three native plant species. In contrast to studies of L. cuneata in prairie ecosystems, my investigation suggests that positive plant-soil feedback does not significantly contribute to its growth or spread in the floodplains of eastern North Carolina, as a history of invasion did not significantly improve the seed germination, seedling survival, growth, or root nodule formation of the invasive legume. The absence of evidence for positive plant-soil feedback in my experiment might be attributed to frequent flooding observed in a floodplain system and the resulting homogenization of soil biota. Findings from my study also suggest that the application of glyphosate herbicide alone creates areas where L. cuneata can readily reinvade, as it significantly reduced the number and diversity of seedlings to emerge from the seed bank while significantly increasing the aboveground biomass and nodule formation of L. cuneata. Concerning the restoration of native flora, my investigation suggests that Chasmanthium latifolium, as opposed to Solidago altissima or Chamaecrista nictitans, may be more susceptible to negative impacts caused by a L. cuneata invasion or glyphosate herbicide and therefore less suitable for initial efforts to restore populations of native flora. Results from my competition experiments also suggest that while S. altissima and Cham. nictitans may not be able to suppress populations of L. cuneata, the two native forbs would be successful in preventing areas from being reinvaded while areas occupied solely by Chas. latifolium may be at risk of reinvasion. Control of invasive species requires active participation by conservation professionals and the public. Outreach events and citizen-science programs can provide members of the community of all ages and careers the opportunity to play an active role in conservation efforts through data collection, species monitoring, restoration, invasive species removal, or a wide variety of other necessary tasks. To assess undergraduate attitudes towards conservation and involve students in the management of an invasive plant, an engagement event was held on a local greenway with an ongoing invasion of L. cuneata. During the outreach event, participants manually removed invasive plants while engaging in discussions centered on invasive species, local flora, and conservation. Voluntary participant data surveys suggested that the event positively impacted participants' perception of the natural world and encouraged them to seek out similar opportunities in the future. Survey results also showed that opinions towards conservation were influenced by the undergraduate major of students.

Author: Erin Marie Medvecz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Grassland plants
Languages : en
Pages : 446

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Invasive species, including Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G. Don, threaten the success of grassland restoration through their ability to alter species composition following invasion. Combining the filter framework model of community assembly with the passenger-driver model of non-native species behavior can clarify the broader impacts of invasive species in the communities they invade. Testing this combined theory by exploring the mechanisms by which an invasive functions (above- and belowground) and the response of native plants from different functional groups to these mechanisms can reveal if an invasive functions as a driver and a filter. Observational field surveys were conducted across fifteen L. cuneata-invaded grasslands to compare species composition of plots in which L. cuneata was either present or absent. In a greenhouse experiment, the response of natives in three functional groups--grasses, forbs, and legumes--to aboveground (competition), belowground (soil conditioning), and both above- and belowground interactions with L. cuneata were investigated. Response variables (height, leaf number, root length, biomass, specific leaf area, leaf chlorophyll, and soil pH and conductivity) were measured. Regional analysis of the field surveys did not identify distinct species compositional differences in invaded and uninvaded areas, while within-site analyses revealed differences in half of the sites, suggesting that site specific characteristics could be impacting whether L. cuneata presence corresponds with a fundamental shift in species composition. Regionally, grass and legume abundance was higher in plots not containing L. cuneata than in plots where it was present. The greenhouse experiment illustrated stronger aboveground competitive effects than belowground soil effects, with impacts differing among functional groups. Under pressure of competition with L. cuneata, grasses experienced increases in certain measured traits (height, root length and specific leaf area), while when grown in conditioned soil, grasses produced greater biomass. Additionally, the growth of L. cuneata differed when grown in competition with forbs, grasses, and legumes. Competition with legumes resulted in the most suppressed growth of L. cuneata individuals among the three functional groups. Considering the field survey and greenhouse experiments in conjunction suggests that grasses can benefit from interactions with L. cuneata and have the potential to outcompete and exclude it, while legumes are detrimental to the growth of L. cuneata and compete for niche space, resulting in L. cuneata establishment in legume-poor areas. The forb functional group did not have a significant relationship to L. cuneata presence in either the field surveys or the greenhouse experiment. Lesepedeza cuneata acts as a driver, altering the abiotic and biotic filters to impact species composition, while it does not act as a filter, with native grasses and legumes acting to filter the L. cuneata.

Author: Thomas A. Monaco
Publisher: CABI
ISBN: 1845938119
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Bringing together ecology and management of invasive plants within natural and agricultural ecosystems, this book bridges the knowledge gap between the processes operating within ecosystems and the practices used to prevent, contain, control and eradicate invasive plant species. The book targets key processes that can be managed, the impact of invasive plants on these ecosystem processes and illustrates how adopting ecologically based principles can influence the ecosystem and lead to effective land management.

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Invasive plants
Languages : en
Pages : 127

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Biological invasions threaten biodiversity, and understanding the factors that influence a community's susceptibility to invasion informs both management of invasive species and conservation of biodiversity. The biotic resistance hypothesis postulates that communities with greater number of competitors, predators and/or pathogens will resist biological invasions. The underlying mechanism of biotic resistance, in the realm of competition, is that in species-rich communities harbor fewer open niches for introduced species to colonize therefore decreasing the probability of invasion. My dissertation research evaluated the role of native species diversity, as well as other biotic, abiotic and landscape factors shaping exotic species richness at multiple spatial scales in an old-field ecosystem. I found that old-field communities with greater native diversity are more invasible, having greater exotic richness, at multiple spatial scales. Additionally, I investigated the role of native species diversity, biotic and abiotic factors shaping patterns of abundance by an invasive species, Lespedeza cuneata, at multiple spatial scales. Lespedeza is a rank one invasive species in several U.S. states including Tennessee due to its potential ecological impacts. I found Lespedeza abundance to be negatively associated with the abundance of dominant species, as well as with the abundance of other N-fixing species (mostly native to North America). I then conducted two field experiments which addressed the role of dominant taxa identity, in particular, the genera Solidago and Verbesina affecting old-field community structure and invasibility by Lespedeza (i.e. establishment). The second experiment investigated the role of resource availability structuring an old-field community and early establishment by Lespedeza. Overall, my findings suggest that native species diversity, abiotic and landscape factors influence multiple spatial scales.

Author: Molly M. Reichenborn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic dissertations
Languages : en
Pages : 31

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Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) is an invasive legume threatening plant communities in the southeastern and southcentral United States. In addition to reducing native species abundance, current evidence suggests that L. cuneata invasion may alter soil conditions in host communities. If correct, L. cuneata may create a soil legacy effect that impacts community recovery, even if control measures have effectively removed L. cuneata. I examined the recovery of a prairie plant community in Jefferson county, Kansas to determine if the historical presence of L. cuneata affected 1) the relative abundance of all species and 2) the colonization of native species in the community four years following L. cuneata removal. To address this, L. cuneata seeds were sown into 300 plots at a wide range of densities (0 to 10,000 seeds m-2 ) under different combinations of simulated disturbance and soil fertilization. After a three-year establishment period, the percent cover and stem density of L. cuneata was recorded, and the community was burned and sprayed with herbicide to eliminate L. cuneata. Fertilization and disturbance treatments were discontinued, and thirteen native forb species were sown into all plots. The stem density of all sown species was recorded annually over a four-year recovery period, and the percent cover of all species present was recorded in the fourth year of recovery. Analysis of community data in response to the historical presence of L. cuneata did not indicate the presence of a soil legacy effect. Although the relationship between community species cover and the historical cover of L. cuneata was significant in some cases, the variation explained by these comparisons was quite low. Similarly, the colonization of sown native species in the community was unrelated to the historical cover of L. cuneata. These results indicate that L. cuneata does not create a soil legacy effect if effectively controlled within the first three years of invasion, regardless of initial density.

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Author: J. Bastow Wilson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110848221X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 373

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Provides a comprehensive review of the role of species interactions in the process of plant community assembly.

Author: James H. Miller
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437987451
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Invasions of non-native plants into forests of the Southern United States continue to go unchecked and only partially un-monitored. These infestations increasingly erode forest productivity, hindering forest use and management activities, and degrading diversity and wildlife habitat. Often called non-native, exotic, non-indigenous, alien, or noxious weeds, they occur as trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, ferns, and forbs. This guide provides information on accurate identification of the 56 non-native plants and groups that are currently invading the forests of the 13 Southern States. In additin, it lists other non-native plants of growing concern. Illustrations. This is a print on demand edition of an important, hard-to-find publication.