Forest canopy resists plant invasions: a case study of Chromolaena odorata in Sal (Shorea robusta) forests of Nepal
Permanent lenke
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/28604Dato
2022-01-07Type
Journal articleTidsskriftartikkel
Peer reviewed
Forfatter
Sharma, Lila Nath; Adhikari, B.; Watson, M.F.; Shrestha, B.B.; Paudel, E.; Karna, B.; Rijal, Dilli PrasadSammendrag
Invasive alien species are a major threat to global biodiversity due to the tremendous ecological
and economic damage they cause in forestry, agriculture, wetlands, and pastoral resources.
Understanding the spatial pattern of invasive alien species and disentangling the biophysical
drivers of invasion at the forest stand level is essential for managing forest ecosystems and
the wider landscape. However, forest-level and species-specific information on Invasive
Alien Plant Species (IAPS) abundance and their spatial extent are largely lacking. In this
context, we analysed the cover of one of the world’s worst invasive plants, Chromolaena
odorata, in Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in central Nepal. Vegetation was sampled in four
community forests using 0.01 ha square quadrats, covering the forest edge to the interior.
C. odorata cover, floral richness, tree density, forest canopy cover, shrub cover, tree basal
area, and disturbances were measured in each plot. We also explored forest and IAPS management practices in community forests. C. odorata cover was negatively correlated with
forest canopy cover, distance to the road, angle of slope, and shrub cover. Tree canopy cover
had the largest effect on C. odorata cover. No pattern of C. odorata cover was seen along
native species richness gradients. In conclusion, forest canopy cover is the overriding biotic
covariate suppressing C. odorata cover in Sal forests.
Beskrivelse
Accepted manuscript version, licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Forlag
Cambridge University PressSitering
Sharma, Adhikari, Watson, Shrestha, Paudel, Karna, Rijal. Forest canopy resists plant invasions: a case study of Chromolaena odorata in Sal (Shorea robusta) forests of Nepal. Journal of Tropical Ecology. 2022;38(2)Metadata
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