Invasion of Gleditsia triacanthos in Lithraea ternifolia Montane Forests of Central Argentina

/ The aim of this work is to study the invasion system constituted by the alien species Gleditsia triacanthos and the native dominant Lithraea ternifolia in montane forests of central Argentina, considering life history and demographic traits of both the alien and the native species and different si...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental management (New York) 2000-10, Vol.26 (4), p.409-419
Main Authors: Marco, DE, Páez, SA
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Argentina
Demography
Ecology
Environmental engineering
Environmental management
Flowers & plants
Forests
Germinability
Gleditsia triacanthos
Growth kinetics
Heterogeneity
Indigenous species
Invasive species
Invasiveness
Life cycle
Life history
Lithraea ternifolia
Lysimachia ternifolia
Montane environments
Mountain forests
Native species
Natural resource management
Nonnative species
Plants (botany)
Population growth
Seeds
Sexual reproduction
Species extinction
Trees
Vegetation
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Summary:/ The aim of this work is to study the invasion system constituted by the alien species Gleditsia triacanthos and the native dominant Lithraea ternifolia in montane forests of central Argentina, considering life history and demographic traits of both the alien and the native species and different site conditions for population growth (good and bad sites). Matrix models are applied to project the consequences of differences in vital rates for population growth. Analyzing these models helps identify which life cycle transitions contributed most to population growth. Obtained population growth rates are considered to assess predicted rates of spread using the reaction-diffusion (R-D) model. G. triacanthos presents many of the life history traits that confer plants high potential for invasiveness: fast growth, clonal and sexual reproduction, short juvenile period, high seed production, and high seed germinability. These traits would ensure G. triacanthos invasive success and the displacement of the slow-growing, relatively less fecund native L. ternifolia. However, since disturbance and environmental heterogeneity complicate the invasibility pattern of G. triacanthos in these montane forests, the outcome of the invasion process is not straightforward as could be if only life history traits were considered.Great variation in demographic parameters was observed between populations of each species at good and bad sites. Though both good and bad sites signified increasing or at least stable populations for G. triacanthos, for L. ternifolia bad sites represented local extinction. Analyzing the results of matrices models helps design the optimal management for the conservation of L. ternifolia populations while preventing the invasion by G. triacanthos. The predicted asymptotic rate of spread for G. triacanthos at the good site was fourfold greater than the predicted one for L. ternifolia, although the difference was much smaller considering the bad site. The usefulness of the R-D model to study this invasion system is discussed.
ISSN:0364-152X
1432-1009
DOI:10.1007/s002670010098