Adaptations of native plants to invasive plants

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Sylvan Kaufman

I often get questions about what the long-term outlook is like for native plants, so it was great to see a study that looks at genetic adaptations of native species in invaded grasslands.  The authors have been studying adapations of native grasses in grasslands invaded by Russian knapweed, Acroptilon repens.  They found that native grass species taken from invaded areas were better able to grow compared to the same grass species taken from uninvaded areas when planted with a novel invader, Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense.  The authors recommend conserving populations of native species growing with invasive species to encourage new adaptations that could be used in restoration projects.  Let’s hope lots of native species harbor the potential to adapt to invasions.

Ferrero-Serrano, Á., Hild, A. L. and Mealor, B. A. 2011. Can invasive species enhance competitive ability and restoration potential in native grass populations? Restoration Ecology, 19: 545–551. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-100X.2009.00611.x

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How wide to stream buffers need to be to reduce plant invasions?

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Sylvan Kaufman

Most riparian buffer regulations are set to reduce nutrient inputs to waterways, but riparian buffers also serve as habitat for native plants and animals.  Plant invasions can significantly alter riparian habitats.  A new paper by Ferris et al. looks at plant invasions along riparian corridors of different widths within the White Clay Creek Watershed in Pennsylvania and Delaware.   They find that wider areas (15 – 25 m wide and wider) had significantly lower rates of invasion by garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus).  However, even the widest areas were still invaded by Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora).

Ferris, G., V. D’Amico, and C. K. Williams. 2012. Determining effective riparian buffer width for nonnative plant exclusion and habitat enhancement.  International Journal of Ecology 2012. Available online: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijeco/2012/170931/



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Invasive Plant Legacies


			

				Posted on March 26, 2012 by Sylvan Kaufman			


					

				
Invasive plants can leave legacies after they have been removed, just as politicians do.  Rather than a legacy of public works or corruption, invasive plants may leave a legacy of altered soils, hydrology or new genes.  A recent paper by Corbin and D’Antonio summarizes biotic and soil chemistry and physical changes left behind after invasive plant removal.  Examples include local extinctions of native species, hybridization with closely related species, and changes to soil communities, soil nitrogen and salinity  levels, and soil accumulation rates.  These legacies must be considered in planning restorations.


Corbin, J. D.  and C. M. D’Antonio. 2012. Gone but not forgotten?  Invasive plants’ legacies on community and ecosystem properties.  Invasive Plant Science and Management 5(1): 117-124.


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Herbicide resistant creeping bentgrass


			

				Posted on March 11, 2012 by Sylvan Kaufman			


					

				
Another study on the potential effects of escaped transgenic creeping bentgrass, Agrostis stolonifera, is out.  This study shows that in Central Oregon wetland communities are at particular risk of invasion by creeping bentgrass and by redtop, Agrostis gigantea. Redtop can cross-pollinate with creeping bentgrass potentially picking up the glyphosate herbicide resistance gene.   Currently control of these invasive grasses principally relies on herbicides containing glyphosate.


Bollman, M. A. et al. 2012. Wetland and riparian plant communities at risk of invasion by transgenic herbicide-resistant Agrostis spp. in central Oregon.  Plant Ecology 213(3):355-370.


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						Posted in Agrostis gigantea, Agrostis stolonifera, Pacific Northwest					
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Long-term experiments on invasive plants


			

				Posted on March 11, 2012 by Sylvan Kaufman			


					

				
Relatively few long-term experiments have been done surveying invasive plants in the same place, so we know relatively little about the long-term dynamics of invasive plants.  A study on Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense, on burned sites in Yellowstone reveal that over seven years thistle has disappeared from some sites as native vegetation has recovered  and at other sites its relative cover has declined.  Where it has remained or newly appeared, sites tend to have more fertile soils and areas with bare ground.


 


Wright, B. R. and D. B. Tinker.  2012. Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.) dynamics in young, postfire forests in Yellowstone National Park, northwestern Wyoming.  Plant Ecology DOI: 10.1007/s11258-012-0026-4.


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