Elimination of Asiatic shrub honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.) from preserves and conservation areas in eastern NorthAmerica is difficult because bird dispersal reintroduces seeds from shrubs in the neighborhood. To reduce this problem, honeysuckle control must be instituted on a broad scale and involve public participation. Many techniques for honeysuckle control are beyond the capabilities and inclinations of volunteers and local landowners. In a replicated study, we evaluated two suitable techniques and applied them in spring, early summer, late summer, fall, and winter 2009. These were stem cutting followed by painting with 18% glyphosate, and stem cutting followed by spraying of regrown shoots with 1% glyphosate about 40 days later. We regarded the spraying of regrown shoots as more practical for neophytes. Overall, cutting followed by stump treatment is more effective, killing 75-85% of individuals in spring and early summer, and >90% later in the year. Cutting and spraying regrowth was most effective in spring (56% killed), and poorer thereafter (20-40% killed). The result for spring was much lower than previously observed. Death rates for the cutting and regrowth spraying treatment were not affected by shrub size, but the amount of regrowth after spraying responded strongly to size. Cutting and regrowth spraying may be suitable in situations where reducing the competitive effects and reproduction of individuals is sufficient, or the resources to treat stumps with concentrated glyphosate are limited.
The radiolabeled dye rapidly progresses through lymphatics to the draining nodes. Use of radiolabeled methylene blue may be an attractive alternative to current two-step sentinel node techniques, as it may be less painful, and may reduce the cost associated with the time-delay between the injection of the radioactive compound and surgery.
Ecological restorations often require removal of invasive species. The abundance of invasives has tended to catalyze research emphasizing removal, not broader understandings, of species mechanisms for persistence in the landscape (e.g. reproductive output and seed dispersal). Asiatic shrub honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.) are pernicious invaders throughout eastern North America. Heavy tree canopy cover apparently reduces growth and reproductive output in Lonicera maackii, which is widespread through the lower Midwestern United States. To help focus control efforts more effectively, we quantified the effect of tree canopy cover on vegetative growth, flowering, and fruit production under three canopy densities. Mean vegetative growth of flowering shoots was not affected by canopy cover. All aspects of sexual reproduction (flower production, fruit set, fruit number, fruit mass, seed number, and seed size) were strongly reduced by moderate shade. Although all individuals modify community and ecosystem properties, a limited number of high light individuals might also provide the greatest proportion of the seeds. Through model simulation of honeysuckle population structure in relation to canopy cover, we argue that it can sometimes be more efficient to initially target reproductive individuals in the high light edge and interior gap environments than to immediately focus on all individuals in the forest interior.
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