Beach Vitex (<i>Vitex rotundifolia</i>): An Invasive Coastal Species

Cousins, Matthew M.; Briggs, Jeanne; Gresham, Chuck; Whetstone, Jack; Whitwell, Ted

doi:10.1614/ipsm-d-09-00055.1

Cited by 20 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Our research indicates that plant structure significantly influences ant composition on coastal dunes. In the northern Gulf of Mexico, invasive species, dune restoration activities, and oil pollution modify or simplify the plant composition in dunes (Cousins et al 2010;Grafals-Soto 2012;Hooper-Bùi, unpubl.). In addition, the frequency and strength of hurricanes and storm surge events have increased and will continue increasing in the future because of global climate change (Trenberth 2005;Webster et al 2005).…”

Section: Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ant community structure and response to disturbances on coastal dunes of Gulf of Mexico

et al. 2014

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Coastal dunes are complex and fragile ecosystems. The decrease in environmental stressors from sea to inland creates zonation patterns of habitats, which support high biodiversity. Although coastal dunes have been examined in primary succession studies for more than 100 years, invertebrates have received much less attention than other taxa. In this study, we examined ant community composition and its relationship with vegetation structure on dunes, and used ants as indicators to reveal the influence of anthropogenic disturbances on these habitats. Quadrat sampling, hand collecting, and beating plants were used to sample ants on coastal dunes fringing the northern Gulf of Mexico. Ants representing 44 species were found, with diversity and number of functional groups increasing from foredunes to backdunes. Bush areas of the backdunes supported a unique ant community. Ant diversity was correlated with plant richness, stem number, and plant cover, but the correlation was not consistent among habitats. Ant diversity was lower in degraded, young-planted, and re-built but not in old-planted sites. In addition, different types of disturbance changed the ant community and functional groups in different ways. Our study emphasizes the importance of protecting the whole dune system, especially the backdunes, which support high diversity but are often completely destroyed by urban development. Data from this research provides a benchmark to examine trajectories of coastal dune ecosystem degradation or recovery when exposed to natural or anthropogenic disturbances.

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Section: Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ant community structure and response to disturbances on coastal dunes of Gulf of Mexico

et al. 2014

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“…Many recently introduced invasive species were originally introduced as ornamental or erosion control plants-these include tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle) [5] and beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia L. f.) [6]. In some cases, invasive species were introduced in an attempt to control other invasive species-for example, several species of mongoose [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Citizen Science as a Tool in Biological Recording—A Case Study of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle

Sladonja

Poljuha

2018

Forests

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Non-native invasive species frequently appear in urban and non-urban ecosystems and may become a threat to biodiversity. Some of these newcomers are introduced accidentally, and others are introduced through a sequence of events caused by conscious human decisions. Involving the general public in biodiversity preservation activities could prevent the negative consequences of these actions. Accurate and reliable data collecting is the first step in invasive species management, and citizen science can be a useful tool to collect data and engage the public in science. We present a case study of biological recording of tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle) using a participatory citizen model. The first goal in this case study was to develop a cheap, widely accessible, and effective inventory method, and to test it by mapping tree of heaven in Croatia. A total of 90.61 km of roads and trails was mapped; 20 single plants and 19 multi-plant clusters (mapped as polygons) were detected. The total infested area was 2610 m 2 . The second goal was to educate citizens and raise awareness of this invasive species. The developed tool and suggested approach aided in improving invasive risk management in accordance with citizen science principles and can be applied to other species or areas.

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“…We tested the effect of long-tongued pollinator abundances on pollination in the same plant species because coastal sand dune vegetation includes similar species across the study region, perhaps due to the prevalence of sea-drifted (long-distance dispersed) plants [39][40][41] and harsh environmental conditions including high salinity and frequent disturbance [42]. Examining niche changes with and without increased niche breadth, that is, niche expansion and shift, respectively (figure 1), we asked the following questions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low functional diversity promotes niche changes in natural island pollinator communities

Hiraiwa¹,

Ushimaru²

2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Functional diversity loss among pollinators has rapidly progressed across the globe and is expected to influence plant-pollinator interactions in natural communities. Although recent findings suggest that the disappearance of a certain pollinator functional group may cause niche expansions and/or shifts in other groups, no study has examined this prediction in natural communities with high plant and pollinator diversities. By comparing coastal pollination networks on continental and oceanic islands, we examined how community-level flower visit patterns are influenced by the relative biomass of long-tongued pollinators (RBLP). We found that RBLP significantly correlated with pollinator functional diversity and was lower in oceanic than in continental islands. Pollinator niches shifted with decreasing RBLP, such that diverse species with various proboscis lengths, especially shorttongued species, increasingly visited long-tubed flowers. However, we found no conspicuous negative impacts of low RBLP and the consequent niche shifts on pollinator visit frequencies to flowers in oceanic island communities. Notably, fruit set significantly decreased as RBLP decreased in a study plant species. These results suggest that niche shifts by other functional groups can generally compensate for a decline in long-tongued pollinators in natural communities, but there may be negative impacts on plant reproduction.

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Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia): An Invasive Coastal Species

Cited by 20 publications

References 13 publications

Ant community structure and response to disturbances on coastal dunes of Gulf of Mexico

Ant community structure and response to disturbances on coastal dunes of Gulf of Mexico

Citizen Science as a Tool in Biological Recording—A Case Study of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle

Low functional diversity promotes niche changes in natural island pollinator communities

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