The effect of roads on the distribution of Microstegium vimineum

The effect of roads on the distribution of Microstegium vimineum

Grasses

Invasive plants

Roads -- Environmental aspects

Manee, Christina Ann

2008

Adkison, Greg

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

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manuscripts (documents)

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61783

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The spread of invasive species is a threat to biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. Disturbance such as construction and maintenance of roadways fragments the landscape, increases the ratio of edge to forest habitat and alters drainage, light, soil characteristics, and species composition in road corridors and roadside habitat. These changes increase the probability of establishment of invasive species. Microstegium vimineum is a highly invasive annual C4 grass which commonly grows along roads. A survey of M.vimineum's abundance in over 2000 sites in western North Carolina was used to examine whether roads facilitate establishment of the species. A field experiment that involved planting and monitoring M. vimineum in roadside and forest interior plots was used to determine if the species is only a roadside problem or a potential problem in forest interiors. The survey showed that abundance of M. vimineum is positively related to the total length of roads in watersheds. The survey also suggested that M. vimineum is rare in forest interiors relative to its frequency at roadside. The field manipulation and survey both implied that M. vimineum grows better in roadside plots. The combined results suggest that roads promote the spread of this species because it occurs more frequently and attains more mass at roadside. M. vimineum�s relative rarity in forest interiors may result from limits of dispersal or germination. Overall, the study implies that stopping the spread of M. vimineum along road corridors will be difficult because the seeds remain viable in the seedbank for up to five years. Managers, however, may be able to limit spread of the species into forest interiors by annually mowing or killing roadside M. vimineum just before seed set and by recognizing the role that disturbance plays in producing conditions conducive for germination in forest interiors.

2015-06-04

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