Lantana camara invasion in a heterogeneous landscape: patterns of spread and correlation with changes in native vegetation

Abstract

The effects of invasive species on community structure remain under-investigated due to the lack of long-term data. Our objectives were to examine the correlation between Lantana camara L. invasion and native species abundance, distribution, diversity, and population structure, across different forest types in a heterogeneous landscape. We examined changes in native vegetation and L. camara between 1997 and 2008. We used existing vegetation data from 134 plots spread across the 540 km 2 landscape from 1997 and re-censused these plots in 2008. We then examined the change in species richness, Shannon's diversity, evenness, and population structure of native species from 1997 to 2008. We also examined the relationship between L. camara density and species richness, diversity, evenness, and population structure. The presence and abundance of L. camara increased dramatically from 1997 to 2008. L. camara occurred in 81% of plots by 2008, compared with only 41% of plots in 1997. Similarly, the mean density of L. camara increased almost fourfold from 1997 to 2008. This was accompanied by a change in native community structure. Species richness, diversity and evenness declined significantly in some forest types, and at the landscape scale. There were also changes in the population structure of native tree species, with reductions in the density of tree saplings, possibly due to competition with L. camara. We demonstrate the pervasive threat posed by L. camara to native vegetation at the scale of individual forest types, and at the larger landscape scale, in our study area. These changes have long-term consequences for forest structure and composition.

The exotic palm Roystonea oleracea (Jacq.) O. F. Cook (Arecaceae) on an island within the Atlantic Forest Biome: naturalization and influence on seedling recruitment

“…Exotic species can affect the structure of the invaded communities through various processes (Parker et al 1999;Levine et al 2003), including disruption of community assembly through competitive exclusion of native plant species (Sundaram & Hiremath 2012), changes in the composition of the understory and litter layer (Mack & D' Antonio 1998;Parker et al 1999), and changes in the genetic structure of native populations through hybridization (Richardson et al 2000;Nyoka 2003). In addition, ecosystem functioning can be affected by alterations in nutrient cycling and hydrological regimes (Ehrenfeld 2003;Levine et al 2003).…”

The invasive alien plants threatened the balance of ecosystem in conservative area in Ontoloe Island, Flores-Indonesia

“…L camara become the serious treatment in an ecosystem because it will dominate other plants in grabs the space, water, and nutrition [31]. L.camara is the species that will interfere other native plants and will dominate lower plants species and the result is it will decrease the diversity of lower plants species in forest ecosystem [32,33].…”

Vegetation Structure and Prioritizing Plants for Eco-Restoration of Degraded Wildlife Corridor in Dry Tropical Forest of South India

“…Subsequently it will severely affect not only the plant community structure and regeneration [45,46] but also habitat quality of the landscape [24], genetic structure of NTFPs at population level [47] and increment of woody vegetation [48]. Lantana camara is affecting native vegetation mainly of herbaceous class and shrub species, and is responsible for significant reduction in species richness and diversity [49]. As in Ref.…”

“…This could be due to poor survival of light demanding seedlings of native tropical dry forest species under the conditions of high Lantana camara abundance and shade [51]. If the present scenario continues for a long period of time, it will gradually reduce forest regeneration rates and thus lead to impaired sustainability of the corridors [49,52,53].…”