Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-xtgtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T15:53:44.642Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The role of habitat, landscape structure and residence time on plant species invasions in a neotropical landscape

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2016

Julian Ananda Haider
Affiliation:
Division of Conservation, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology, University Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Raphael Höbart
Affiliation:
Division of Conservation, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology, University Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Nina Kovacs
Affiliation:
Division of Conservation, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology, University Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Markus Milchram
Affiliation:
Division of Conservation, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology, University Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Stefan Dullinger
Affiliation:
Division of Conservation, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology, University Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Werner Huber
Affiliation:
Division of Tropical Ecology and Animal Biodiversity, University Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Franz Essl*
Affiliation:
Division of Conservation, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology, University Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
*
1Corresponding author. Email: franz.essl@univie.ac.at

Abstract:

Plant invasions in tropical agricultural landscapes have been poorly studied so far. Here, we use plot data collected in 2015 in the La Gamba valley in southern Costa Rica to analyse the spread of two invasive alien species (Hydrilla verticillata, Hedychium coronarium) on the landscape level. In total, we recorded the aquatic H. verticillata, which was locally introduced into the La Gamba valley in 2005, in 26% of all plots (size: 15 m2), while H. coronarium, which occurs along water courses, was recorded in 80% of all plots (size: 25 m2). Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) showed that the habitat type invaded and shading had no significant effect on H. verticillata presence and abundance. However, proximity to the point of local introduction and habitat diversity in the adjacent landscape did positively affect its presence. For H. coronarium, GLMs showed a significant correlation with the invaded habitat type. The probability of H. coronarium presence was highest in herbaceous vegetation and cover was higher compared with other habitats. There was no effect on native plant species richness and cover by H. verticillata, while H. coronarium exerted a negative impact on herbaceous plant species number and, in particular, cover. Hydrilla verticillata is a rather recent addition to the local alien flora, and thus dispersal limitation still restricts its local range. Compared with observed rates of spread in other regions, spread velocity within the first decade of its local presence was low. In contrast, H. coronarium has been locally present for a substantially longer time period. This species encounters suitable habitat conditions in herbaceous vegetation along water courses, where it builds up dense clonal stands which negatively affect herbaceous vegetation. Our results show that while both study species are invasive in Central American lowlands, their local abundance and impacts on native vegetation may differ profoundly.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

ACEVEDO-RODRÍGUEZ, P. & STRONG, M. T. 2012. Catalogue of the seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98:11192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BALCIUNAS, K., GRODOWITZ, M. J., COFRANCESCO, A. F. & SHEARER, J. F. 2002. Hydrilla. Pp. 91114 in Van Driesche, R., Blossey, B., Hoddle, M., Lyon, S. & Reardon, R. (eds.). Biological control of invasive plants in the eastern United States. USDA Forest Service Publication FHTET-2002-04.Google Scholar
BARBIER, E. B. 2007. Land conversion, interspecific competition, and bioinvasion in a tropical ecosystem. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 39:133147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BENNIE, J., HODGSON, J. A., LAWSON, C. R., HOLLOWAY, C. T., ROY, D. B., BRERETON, T. & WILSON, R. J. 2013. Range expansion through fragmented landscapes under a variable climate. Ecology Letters 16:921929.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BENVENUTI, S. 2007. Weed seed movement and dispersal strategies in the agricultural environment. Weed Biology and Management 7:141157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CARBONI, M., MÜNKEMÜLLER, T., LAVERGNE, S., CHOLER, P., BORGY, B., VIOLLE, C., ESSL, F., ROQUET, C., MUNOZ, F., DIVGRASS, CONSORTIUM & THUILLER, W. 2016. What it takes to invade grassland ecosystems: traits, introduction history and filtering processes. Ecology Letters 19:219229.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
CHACÓN, E. & SABORÍO, R. G. 2006. Análisis taxonómico de las especies de plantas introducidas en Costa Rica. Lankesteriana 6:139147.Google Scholar
CHYTRÝ, M., JAROŠIK, V., PYŠEK, P., HAJEK, O., KNOLLOVÁ, I., TICHÝ, I. & DANIHELKA, J. 2008a. Separating habitat invasibility by alien plants from the actual level of invasion. Ecology 89:15411553.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
CHYTRÝ, M., MASKELL, L. C., PINO, J., PYŠEK, P., VILÀ, M., FONT, X. & SMART, S. M. 2008b. Habitat invasions by alien plants: a quantitative comparison among Mediterranean, subcontinental and oceanic regions of Europe. Journal of Applied Ecology 45:448458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COLAUTTI, R. I., GRIGOROVICH, I. A. & MACISAAC, H. J. 2006. Propagule pressure: a null model for biological invasions. Biological Invasions 8:10231037.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DAEHLER, C. C. 2006. Invasibility of tropical islands by introduced plants: partitioning the influence of isolation and propagule pressure. Preslia 78:289404.Google Scholar
DAR, P. A., RESHI, Z. A. & SHAH, M. A. 2015. Roads act as corridors for the spread of alien plant species in mountainous regions: a case study of Kashmir Valley, India. Tropical Ecology 56:183190.Google Scholar
DAVIS, M. A., GRIME, J. P. & THOMPSON, K. 2000. Fluctuating resources in plant communities: a general theory of invasibility. Journal of Ecology 88:528534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DAWSON, W., BURSLEM, D. F. R. P. & HULME, P. E. 2009. Factors explaining alien plant invasion success in a tropical ecosystem differ at each stage of invasion. Journal of Ecology 97:657665.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DENSLOW, J. S., SPACE, J. A. & THOMAS, P. A. 2009. Invasive exotic plants in the tropical Pacific islands: patterns of diversity. Biotropica 41:162170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ELLIS, E. C., KLEIN GOLDEWIJK, K., SIEBERT, S., LIGHTMAN, D. & RAMANKUTTY, N. 2010. Anthropogenic transformation of the biomes, 1700 to 2000. Global Ecology and Biogeography 19:589606.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FARAWAY, J. J. 2006. Extending the linear model with R: generalized linear, mixed effects and nonparametric regression models. CRC Press, Boca Raton.Google Scholar
FINE, P. V. A. 2002. The invasibility of tropical forests by exotic plants. Journal of Tropical Ecology 18:687705.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HERTENTAINS, L. A., LEZCANO, F. & SANTIAGO RIOS, A. 1993. Effect of herbicide dose on the chemical control of the heliotrope (Hedychium coronarium) in Cordillera, Chiriqui, Panama. Ciencia Agropecuaria 9:117126.Google Scholar
HÖBINGER, T., SCHINDLER, S., SEAMAN, B. S., WRBKA, T. & WEISSENHOFER, A. 2012. Impact of oil palm plantations on the structure of the agroforestry mosaic of La Gamba, southern Costa Rica: potential implications for biodiversity. Agroforestry Systems 85:367381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HUBER, W., WEISSENHOFER, A. & ESSL, F. 2008. Alien plants and invasion patterns in different habitats of the Golfo Dulce area, Costa Rica. Stapfia 88:105110.Google Scholar
INBIO 1998. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica. Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica. 125 pp.Google Scholar
KING, A. W. & WITH, K. A. 2002. Dispersal success on spatially structured landscapes: when do spatial pattern and dispersal behavior really matter? Ecological Modelling 147:2339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
KUEFFER, C., DAEHLER, C. C., TORRES-SANTANA, C. W., LAVERGNE, C., MEYER, J. Y., OTTO, R. & SILVA, L. 2010. A global comparison of plant invasions on oceanic islands. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 12:145161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LANGELAND, K. A. 1996. Hydrilla verticillata (LF) Royle (Hydrocharitaceae) – the perfect aquatic weed. Castanea 61:293304.Google Scholar
LE MAITRE, D. C., KOTZEE, I. M. & O'FARRELL, P. J. 2014. Impacts of land-cover change on the water flow regulation ecosystem service: invasive alien plants, fire and their policy implications. Land Use Policy 36:171181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LOCKWOOD, J. L., CASSEY, P. & BLACKBURN, T. 2005. The role of propagule pressure in explaining species invasions. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20:223228.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
LOPEZ, O. R. 2012. Introduced alien plant species in the Neotropics: the Panama case. The Open Ecology Journal 5:8489.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MADEIRA, P. T., JACONO, C. C. & VAN, T. K. 2000. Monitoring hydrilla using two RAPD procedures and the nonindigenous aquatic species database. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 38:3340.Google Scholar
MILBAU, A. & NIJS, I. 2004. The role of species traits (invasiveness) and ecosystem characteristics (invasibility) in grassland invasions: a framework. Weed Technology 18:13011304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MINDEN, V., HENNENBERG, K. J., POREMBSKI, S. & BOEHMER, H. J. 2010a. Invasion and management of alien Hedychium gardnerianum (Kahili ginger, Zingiberaceae) alter plant species composition of a montane rainforest on the island of Hawaii. Plant Ecology 206:321333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MINDEN, V., JACOBI, J. D., POREMBSKI, S. & BOEHMER, H. J. 2010b. Effects of invasive alien kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum) on native plant species regeneration in a Hawaiian rainforest. Applied Vegetation Science 13:514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PADMANABA, M. & CORLETT, R.T. 2014. Minimizing risks of invasive alien plant species in tropical production forest management. Forests 5:19821998.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PARENDES, L. A. & JONES, J. A. 2000. Role of light availability and dispersal in exotic plant invasion along roads and streams in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon. Conservation Biology 14:6475.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PARTHASARATHY, N., PRAGASAN, L. A. & MUTHUPERUMAL, C. 2012. Invasive alien plants in tropical forests of the southern Eastern Ghats, India: ecology and management. Pp. 162173 in Bhatt, J. R., Singh, J. S., Singh, S. P., Tripathi, R. S. & Kohli, R. K. (eds.). Invasive alien plants: an appraisal for the Indian subcontinent. Punjab University, New Delhi.Google Scholar
PYŠEK, P. & RICHARDSON, D. M. 2007. Traits associated with invasiveness: where do we stand? Pp. 97122 in Nentwig, W. (ed.). Biological invasions. Springer, Berlin.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PYŠEK, P., RICHARDSON, D. M., PERGL, J., JAROŠÍK, V., SIXTOVÁ, Z. & WEBER, E. 2008. Geographical and taxonomic biases in invasion ecology. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23:237244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
PYŠEK, P., KRIVANEK, M. & JAROŠIK, V. 2009. Planting intensity, residence time, and species traits determine invasion success of alien woody species. Ecology 90:27342744.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
RICHARDSON, D. M., HOLMES, P. M., ESLER, K. J., GALATOWITSCH, S. M., STROMBERG, J. C., KIRKMAN, S. P., PYŠEK, P. & HOBBS, R. J. 2007. Riparian vegetation: degradation, alien plant invasions, and restoration prospects. Diversity and Distributions 13:126139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SEEBENS, H., ESSL, H., DAWSON, W., FUENTES, N., MOSER, D., PERGL, J., PYŠEK, P., VAN KLEUNEN, M., WEBER, E., WINTER, M. & BLASIUS, B. 2015. Global trade will accelerate plant invasions in emerging economies under climate change. Global Change Biology. doi: 10.1111/gcb.13021.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SIMBERLOFF, D., MARTIN, J. L., GENOVESI, P., MARIS, V., WARDLE, D. A., ARONSON, J., COURCHAMP, F., GALIL, B., GARCÍA-BERTHOU, E., PASCAL, M., PYŠEK, P., SOUSA, R., TABACCHI, E. & VILA, M. 2013. Impacts of biological invasions: what's what and the way forward. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 28:5866.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SOARES, D. J. & BARRETO, R. W. 2008. Fungal pathogens of the invasive riparian weed Hedychium coronarium from Brazil and their potential for biological control. Fungal Diversity 28:8596.Google Scholar
THOMAZ, S. M., ESTEVES, F. A., MURPHY, K. J., DOS, A. S., CALIMAN, A. & GUARIENTO, R. D. 2008. Aquatic macrophytes in the tropics: ecology of populations and communities, impacts of invasions and use by man. Tropical Biology and Conservation Management 4:12511280.Google Scholar
VAN KLEUNEN, M., DAWSON, W., ESSL, F., PERGL, J., WINTER, M., WEBER, E., KREFT, H., WEIGELT, P., KARTESZ, J., NISHINO, M., ANTONOVA, L. A., BARCELONA, J. F., CABEZAS, F. J., CÁRDENAS, D., CÁRDENAS-TORO, J., CASTAÑO, N., CHACÓN, C., CHATELAIN, C., EBEL, A. L., FIGUEIREDO, D., FUENTES, N., GROOM, Q. J., HENDERSON, L., INDERJIT, KUPRIYANOV, A., MASCIADRI, S., MEERMAN, J., MOROZOVA, O., MOSER, D., NICKRENT, D., PATZELT, A., PELSER, P. B., BAPTISTE, M. P., POOPATH, M., SCHULZE, M., SEEBENS, H., SHU, W., THOMAS, J., VELAYOS, M., WIERINGA, J. J. & PYŠEK, P. 2015. Global exchange and accumulation of non-native plants. Nature 525:100103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
VAN VALKENBURG, J. L. C. H. & BUNYAPRAPHATSARA, N. (eds.) 2001. Medicinal and poisonous plants 2. Leiden, Backhuys Publishers.Google Scholar
VILÀ, M., BASNOU, C., PYŠEK, P., JOSEFSSON, M., GENOVESI, P., GOLLASCH, S., NENTWIG, W., OLENIN, S., ROQUES, A., ROY, D., HULME, P. E. & DAISIE, PARTNERS. 2010. How well do we understand the impacts of alien species on ecosystem services? A pan-European, cross-taxa assessment. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 8:135144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
VILÀ, M., ESPINAR, J. L., HEJDA, M., HULME, P. E., JAROŠIK, V., MARON, J. L., PERGL, J., SCHAFFNER, U., SUN, Y. & PYŠEK, P. 2011. Ecological impacts of invasive alien plants: a meta-analysis of their effects on species, communities and ecosystems. Ecology Letters 14:702708.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
WASSENAAR, T., GERBER, P., VERBURG, P. H., ROSALES, M., IBRAHIM, M. & STEINFELD, H. 2007. Projecting land use changes in the Neotropics: the geography of pasture expansion into forest. Global Environmental Change 17:86104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WEISSENHOFER, A., HUBER, W., MAYER, V., PAMPERL, S., WEBER, A. & AUBRECHT, G. 2008. Natural and cultural history of the Golfo Dulce region, Costa Rica. Stapfia 88:5962.Google Scholar