Biological
invasions and plant invasions in particular are major issues in ecological science.
They also impact on public awareness, legislation, conservation biology, agronomy,
forestry, and many other applied sciences. The mass transport of goods and people,
rapidly increasing human populations, intensive agricultural and forestry practices,
urbanisation, coastal management, climate change and the degradation and fragmentation
of natural habitats are some of the driving forces that increase the global
movement of species over natural boundaries and influence the success of new
invasions. As a result, the flora of most countries is rich in non-native plant
species. Not all the alien plant species cause problems, indeed many fail to
establish following introduction. Some, however become aggressively invasive
in their introduced range and can cause significant impact.
The problems associated with plant invasions have a global perspective. This
is clearly shown by the increasing amount of literature on this topic in scientific
journals, mailing lists, web pages, research programs, governmental efforts,
new legislation and references to alien invasive species in International Conventions.
The main indicator is, of course, the presence of world-wide invasion processes
that are clearly active and being monitored in both aquatic and terrestrial
ecosystems. Plant invasions cause severe ecological damage and economic loss
across the globe. Furthermore, in many countries, removal/control programmes
of invasive alien plants are often difficult to implement and are costly both
in terms of time and money.
This
book builds on material presented at the Sardinian conference where more than
100 contributions (papers and posters) were received from 20 countries across
5 continents. In an attempt to quantify and further the understanding of ecological
issues relating to plant invasions, this work contains case study papers on
the ecology of single invasive plant species. It also addresses general questions
on invasion biology and explores the control and management of invasive species
in a wide range of ecosystems.
Contents
Contents, Preface,
Index of Main Taxa
General aspects
A model for interpreting the process of invasion: crucial situations favouring
special characteristics of invasive species, Tina Heger
Can the impacts of invasive plants be predicted? Mark Williamson
Case studies I: Species
Spatio-temporal dynamics of Mimosa quadrivalvis var. leptocarpa populations
in Peninsular Malaysia, Baki Bin Bakar
Comparative
study of native and invasive populations of Lythrum salicaria: population characteristics,
site and community relationships, Dáa Bastlová Hanzélyová
Robinia pseudoacacia in the forested agricultural landscape of the Pisan Hills
(Italy), Andrea Bertacchi, Tiziana Lombardi and Antonino Onnis
Effect of weather conditions on the growth of Solidago gigantea, Zoltán
Botta-Dukát and István Dancza
The invasion history of Mycelis muralis in Ireland, Gerard Clabby and Bruce
A. Osborne
Annual papavers: taxonomically complex weeds, Maretta Colasante, Mena Cima and
Giulio Corazzi
Community characteristics in a mountain forest invaded by Gleditsia triacanthos,
Federico Colombo Speroni and Marta L. de Viana
Paspalum vaginatum, neophyte in a Sardinian (Italy) brackish environment, Rossella
Filigheddu, Emmanuele Farris and Felicina Trebini
Contibution to the invasive ecology of Rudbeckia laciniata, Tereza Francírková
Seed ecology of alien Bidens frondosa in comparison with native species of the
genus, Helena Gruberová, Karolina Bendová and Karel Prach
Natural seed banks, seedling growth and survival in areas invaded by Gunnera
tinctoria, Betsy Hickey and Bruce Osborne
Growth and developement of Mimosa pigra: an alien invasive plant in Sri Lanka,
Buddhi Marambe, Luxman Amarasinghe and Sanjaya Dissanayake
Linking land use and invading species features. A case study of Acer negundo
in BiaÞowie‡a village (NE Poland), Piotr M´drzycki and Piotr Pabjanek
Related alien species in their native and invaded ranges: a comparative study
of the genus Oenothera in Arkansas (USA) and the Czech Republic, Stanislav Mihulka
Ecological and genetic features of the invasion by the alien Carpobrotus plants
in Mediterranean island habitats, Carey M. Suehs, Frédéric Médail
and Laurence Affre
Hydrology as an influence on invasion: experimental investigations into competition
between the alien Impatiens glandulifera and the native Urtica dioica, David
P. Tickner, Penelope G. Angold, Angela M. Gurnell, J. Owen Mountford and Tim
Sparks
Patterns of invasion of Opuntia sp. pl. in abandoned olive groves in Catalonia
(Spain), Montserrat Vilà and Isabel Gimeno
Synecology and dynamics of Amorpha fruticosa communities in the Po plain (Italy),
Franco Zavagno and Giovanni DAuria
Case studies II: Invasive plants in protected areas
Invasive alien plants threatening the natural vegetation of Ãrség
Landscape Protection Area (Hungary), Lajos Balogh
Type characters
of non-native plant species in Great Lakes National Parks (USA), James P. Bennett
Case studies III: Habitats, biotopes, regions
The importance of alien and native species in the urban flora of Rome (Italy),
Laura Celesti Grapow, Piera Di Marzio and Carlo Blasi
Invasions of river corridors by exotic plant species: patterns and causes, Anne-Marie
Planty-Tabacchi, Eric Tabacchi and Maria Jacoba Salinas Bonillo
Persistance of stout clonal herbs as invaders in the landscape: a field test
of historical records, Petr Pyek, Bohumil Mandák, Tereza Francírková
and Karel Prach
The history of studies of invasive alien plants in Poland, Barbara Tokarska-Guzik
/ Investigations on some reproductive features of invasive alien plants in Italy,
Lucia Viegi
Invasive plants involved in primary succession on post-industrial areas in Upper
Silesia (Poland), Gabriela Woêniak
Sucess factors enabling the penetration of mountain areas by kenophytes: an
example from the northern Polish Carpathians, Maria Zajàc and Adam Zajàc
Case studies IV: Invasive plant management
Experimental control of Reynoutria congeners: a comparative study of a hybrid
and its parents, KateÄina Bímová, Bohumil Mandák and Petr
Pyek
Strategic invasive plant management, linking policy and practice: a case study
of Fallopia japonica in Swansea, South Wales (UK), Lois Child, Max Wade and
Sean Hathaway
Community-based
efforts to control early invasion of Lepidium Latifolium in the Lake Tahoe Basin
(USA), Susan Donaldson and Ellen Swensen
Invasive plants on land recovering from desertification on Saint Helena Island,
Anthony David Kendle and Juliet Emma Rose
Effect of the removal of the exotic Eucalyptus resinifera on the floristic composition
of a protected xerophythic shrubland in Mexico City, Saúl Segura-Burciaga
and Jorge Meave
Index