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Survey of the vascular plants of Sierra Chica, the untouched area of the Paititi Natural Reserve (southeastern Tandilia mountain range, Buenos Aires province, Argentina)

“…According to Zalba and Villamil (2002), the process of invasion by adventive species is dynamic and some species classified as casual and non-invasive can become aggressive invaders due to increases in the number of propagules, changes in the regime of disturbance, and the introduction of other species that may facilitate their expansion. Accordingly, the presence of several exotic tree and shrub species (e.g., Acacia melanoxylon, Laurus nobilis, Prunus mahaleb, and Rubus ulmifolius) as well as some herbaceous species (e.g., Holcus lanatus, Senecio madagascariensis, Cirsium vulgare, and Carduus spp.)…”

Sex morphs and invasiveness of a fleshy-fruited tree in natural grasslands from Argentina

“…Lucie's cherry (Prunus mahaleb L.) is a small fleshy-fruited tree native to Eurasia, frequently used as a rootstock for orchard trees, as an ornamental plant and also for wood production (Bass et al 2006;Grisez et al 2008). These have been the reasons that drove its introduction in several countries, resulting in invasion processes in some of them, including the United States (Swearingen 2008), Canada (Brouillet et al 2010), Australia (Bass et al 2006), New Zealand (Webb et al 1988) and Argentina (Zalba and Villamil 2002). The presence of this species in the Pampas has been reported for more than 50 years (Zalba 2001) and we have estimated the age of the oldest tree in the study area to be 62 years .…”

“…The presence of this species in the Pampas has been reported for more than 50 years (Zalba 2001) and we have estimated the age of the oldest tree in the study area to be 62 years . The species has spread over natural grasslands, threatening remnants of high value for biodiversity conservation (Zalba and Villamil 2002;Amodeo and Zalba 2013;Zalba and Amodeo 2015).…”

“…The proliferation of invasive trees and shrubs represents a major threat for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning as in other grasslands and savannas worldwide (Richardson et al 2014). A set of invasive woody plants of diverse origins have spread in the last remnants of natural grasslands in the Pampas eco-region, among them St. Lucie's cherry (Prunus mahaleb) has established dispersal interactions with the local fauna (Zalba and Villamil 2002;Amodeo and Zalba 2013).…”

Germination performance of native and non-native Ulmus pumila populations

“…Furthermore, it is commonly used in elm breeding programs due to its high tolerance to the Dutch elm disease (Smalley andGuries 2000, Mittempergher andSantini 2004). Today, U. pumila is considered as naturalized or even invasive in 43 states of the U.S., as well as in Canada (Kartesz 2011, USDA andNRCS 2011), Mexico (Todzia and Panero 1998), Argentina (Mazia et al 2001, Zalba andVillamil 2002), Spain (Cogolludo-Agustín et al 2000), the European part of Russia, Estonia and Australia (NOBANIS 2012). Webb (1948) reported that different Chinese origins of the Siberian elm are characterized by differing frost hardiness.…”