Effects of Invasive Exotic Grasses on South Texas Rangeland Breeding Birds

Flanders, Aron A.; Kuvlesky, William P.; Ruthven, Donald C.; Zaiglin, Robert E.; Bingham, Ralph L.; Fulbright, Timothy E.; Hernández, Fidel; Brennan, Leonard A.

doi:10.1093/auk/123.1.171

Cited by 69 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Response of scaled quail in our study to non‐native grasses was similar to the response of northern bobwhites, a species that exhibited avoidance of areas with ≥15% non‐native grasses (Sands et al ). Our findings add to a growing body of literature suggesting that non‐native grasses degrade habitat for a variety of bird species (Maron and Lill , Flanders et al , Hickman et al , Gibson et al ). Our results together with findings of other researchers underscore the concern voiced by Brennan and Kuvlesky () that non‐native grasses are a serious threat to conservation of grassland birds.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Non‐native grasses reduce scaled quail habitat

et al. 2019

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Non‐native grasses are frequently sown in the southwestern United States for livestock forage and erosion control. These grasses often spread from areas where they are planted and replace native grasses and forbs. We tested the hypothesis that chestnut‐bellied scaled quail (Callipepla squamata castanogastris) avoid locations dominated by non‐native grasses. We trapped scaled quail at 5 different sites in southern Texas, USA, and located quail fitted with necklace‐style transmitters 3 times/week during 2013–2014. We manually delineated plant communities using aerial maps and on‐the‐ground knowledge of the study sites. We examined second‐order (home‐range scale) selection by comparing proportion of the areas of plant communities within 62 scaled quail home ranges (used) paired with random home ranges (available). We examined third‐order (within‐home‐range scale) selection by comparing the composition of bird location (used) and random (available) points based on proportion of points within plant communities. For both home‐range scale and within‐home‐range scale analyses, we used non‐parametric multivariate analysis of variance with 9,999 random permutations. We examined fourth‐order (organism‐centered) selection by measuring vegetation variables at used and available locations and then estimating the relative probability of use of vegetation variables and by estimating continuous selection functions for variables that were influential in determining relative probability of use. Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) and Old World bluestems (Bothriochloa spp., Dichanthium annulatum and other Dichanthium spp.) comprised 99% (95% CI = 98–100%, n = 143 sites where non‐native plants occurred) of the non‐native grasses in our study areas. Scaled quail avoided non‐native and riparian plant communities at the home‐range and within‐home‐range scales of selection. At the organism‐centered scale of selection, odds of use by scaled quail decreased 28% for every 10% increase in non‐native grass cover and increased 12% for every 10% increase in shrub canopy cover. Scaled quail avoided locations with >10% canopy cover of non‐native grasses. Based on avoidance at 3 scales of selection, dominance of buffelgrass and Old World bluestems degrades habitat for scaled quail. Spread and sowing of non‐native grasses and brush clearing may be partly responsible for declines in scaled quail populations. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Non‐native grasses reduce scaled quail habitat

et al. 2019

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“…This result is relevant to long-term risk assessment for HR crops that can escape cultivation because changes in plant community assemblages can produce negative impacts on other trophic levels [45]. Our results contrast with some previous reports that herbicides have little effect on plant species richness [20], [46], [47], [48], [18].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 71%

Annual Glyphosate Treatments Alter Growth of Unaffected Bentgrass (Agrostis) Weeds and Plant Community Composition

Ahrens

Auer

2012

PLoS ONE

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Herbicide resistance is becoming more common in weed ecotypes and crop species including turfgrasses, but current gaps in knowledge limit predictive ecological risk assessments and risk management plans. This project examined the effect of annual glyphosate applications on the vegetative growth and reproductive potential of two weedy bentgrasses, creeping bentgrass (CB) and redtop (RT), where the glyphosate resistance (GR) trait was mimicked by covering the bentgrass plants during glyphosate application. Five field plots were studied in habitats commonly inhabited by weedy bentgrasses including an agricultural hayfield, natural meadow, and wasteland. Results showed that annual glyphosate treatment improved bentgrass survivorship, vegetative growth, and reproductive potential compared with bentgrass in unsprayed subplots. In the second year of growth, RT plants had an 86-fold increase in flower number in glyphosate-treated subplots versus controls, while CB plants had a 20-fold increase. At the end of the three year study, plant community composition had changed in glyphosate-treated subplots in hayfield and meadow plots compared to controls. Soils in subplots receiving glyphosate had higher nitrate concentrations than controls. This is the first study to mimic the GR trait in bentgrass plants with the goal of quantifying bentgrass response to glyphosate selection pressure and understanding the impacts on surrounding plant communities.

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“…The vast majority of bird species feed on insects (Moreby, 2003). Additionally, invasive plants often form homogeneous stands with lowered habitat complexity, which results in reduced number of potential nesting sites, types of nesting material and food resources and may trigger substantial impact on birds (Flanders et al, 2006;Ortega et al, 2006;Sk orka et al, 2008;Clavero et al, 2009). Negative impacts also occurred for mammals, reptiles (abundance), Malacostraca (diversity), and Bivalvia (fitness).…”

Section: Impacts Across Animal Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of invasive plants on resident animals across ecosystems, taxa, and feeding types: a global assessment

Schirmel

Bundschuh

Entling

et al. 2015

Global Change Biology

158

105

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As drivers of global change, biological invasions have fundamental ecological consequences. However, it remains unclear how invasive plant effects on resident animals vary across ecosystems, animal classes, and functional groups. We performed a comprehensive meta-analysis covering 198 field and laboratory studies reporting a total of 3624 observations of invasive plant effects on animals. Invasive plants had reducing (56%) or neutral (44%) effects on animal abundance, diversity, fitness, and ecosystem function across different ecosystems, animal classes, and feeding types while we could not find any increasing effect. Most importantly, we found that invasive plants reduced overall animal abundance, diversity and fitness. However, this significant overall effect was contingent on ecosystems, taxa, and feeding types of animals. Decreasing effects of invasive plants were most evident in riparian ecosystems, possibly because frequent disturbance facilitates more intense plant invasions compared to other ecosystem types. In accordance with their immediate reliance on plants for food, invasive plant effects were strongest on herbivores. Regarding taxonomic groups, birds and insects were most strongly affected. In insects, this may be explained by their high frequency of herbivory, while birds demonstrate that invasive plant effects can also cascade up to secondary consumers. Since data on impacts of invasive plants are rather limited for many animal groups in most ecosystems, we argue for overcoming gaps in knowledge and for a more differentiated discussion on effects of invasive plant on native fauna.

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Effects of Invasive Exotic Grasses on South Texas Rangeland Breeding Birds

Cited by 69 publications

References 19 publications

Non‐native grasses reduce scaled quail habitat

Non‐native grasses reduce scaled quail habitat

Annual Glyphosate Treatments Alter Growth of Unaffected Bentgrass (Agrostis) Weeds and Plant Community Composition

Impacts of invasive plants on resident animals across ecosystems, taxa, and feeding types: a global assessment

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