Management intensity affects the relationship between non-native and native species in subtropical wetlands

    Authors

    E. H. Boughton; P. F. Quintana-Ascencio; D. Nickerson;P. J. Bohlen

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Appl. Veg. Sci.

    Keywords

    Biotic resistance; Functional groups; Grasslands; Grazing; Invasion; Land-use; Resource availability; PLANT-COMMUNITIES; DIVERSITY-INVASIBILITY; INVASION RESISTANCE; LARGE; HERBIVORES; EXOTIC PLANTS; GRASSLAND; RICHNESS; DISTURBANCE; PASTURES; HABITAT; Plant Sciences; Ecology; Forestry

    Abstract

    Question: Does management intensity affect the association between non-native and native species and between non-native species and soil nutrients in wetlands? Location: MacArthur Agro-Ecology Research Center, Florida, USA. Methods: We evaluated native and non-native plant richness and relative frequency in 15 1-m(2) plots in 40 wetlands across two types of pastures, highly managed (fertilized, ditched, planted, heavily grazed by cattle) and semi-natural (unfertilized, lightly seasonally grazed). Plant biomass was collected in five 0.25-m 2 plots per wetland and sorted to species. Soil cores were collected to analyse soil total nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). An information-theoretic approach was used to compare mixed effects models considering the association of non-native richness, relative frequency, and biomass with native richness, relative frequency, biomass, C-3 grass relative frequency (a dominant native group), N, P and wetland-type. Results: Non-native richness was negatively correlated with native richness in semi-natural wetlands, but there was no evidence of an association between these variables in highly managed wetlands. Non-native richness increased with increasing soil N in semi-natural wetlands, but not in the highly managed wetlands. Soil P was positively related to non-native frequency in semi-natural wetlands but negatively related in highly managed wetlands. Non-native frequency and biomass were negatively related to relative frequency of C-3 grasses in both management types. Conclusions: Our results indicate that management intensity influences relationships between native and non-native richness. Management intensity interacts with abiotic or biotic factors, such as soil nutrients and composition, in predicting where non-native species will most likely need control.

    Journal Title

    Applied Vegetation Science

    Volume

    14

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2011

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    210

    Last Page

    220

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000287863600007

    ISSN

    1402-2001

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