Patterns of woody plant invasion in an Argentinean coastal grassland

Coastal dune grasslands are fragile ecosystems that have historically been subjected to various types of uses and human activities. In Buenos Aires Province (Argentina), these areas are frequently afforested for urban and touristic development. The introduction and subsequent spread of exotic tree s...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado:	2014
Materias:	Acacia longifolia Biological invasions Exotic trees and shrubs Native species Populus alba
Acceso en línea:	https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_1146609X_v54_n_p65_Alberio http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_1146609X_v54_n_p65_Alberio
Aporte de:	Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA) de Universidad de Buenos Aires

id	paper:paper_1146609X_v54_n_p65_Alberio
record_format	dspace
spelling	paper:paper_1146609X_v54_n_p65_Alberio2023-06-08T16:09:17Z Patterns of woody plant invasion in an Argentinean coastal grassland Acacia longifolia Biological invasions Exotic trees and shrubs Native species Populus alba Coastal dune grasslands are fragile ecosystems that have historically been subjected to various types of uses and human activities. In Buenos Aires Province (Argentina), these areas are frequently afforested for urban and touristic development. The introduction and subsequent spread of exotic tree species is one of the main threats to conservation of natural grasslands as invasive trees strongly transform their structure and composition. The aim of this study was to identify patterns of woody plant invasion comparing plant communities and environmental variables between invaded and non-invaded areas surrounding the coastal village of Mar Azul, Argentina. Coastal grasslands in this area are being invaded by Populus alba (white poplar) and Acacia longifolia (coast wattle). The height of the saplings and the richness of the accompanying vegetation were evaluated in relation to the distance from the edge of the mature tree patches. Also, the cover, richness and diversity of all species in the invaded and non-invaded areas were measured, as well as soil pH, temperature and particle size. Negative correlations were found between the height of the saplings and distance to mature tree patches in all areas. The richness of the accompanying vegetation was negatively and positively correlated with the distance from the poplar and acacia area, respectively. The most abundant native species was Cortaderia selloana. Less cover, richness and diversity of native plant species and greater soil particle size were found in invaded areas, where the proportion of bare soil was higher. Also, a higher proportion of leaf litter in the invaded areas was registered. The results emphasize the invasive capacity of P.alba and A.longifolia advancing on the native communities and reducing their richness. Knowledge of the impact of invasive woody plants in coastal grasslands is important to design active management strategies for conservation purposes. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. 2014 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_1146609X_v54_n_p65_Alberio http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_1146609X_v54_n_p65_Alberio
institution	Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str	I-28
repository_str	R-134
collection	Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic	Acacia longifolia Biological invasions Exotic trees and shrubs Native species Populus alba
spellingShingle	Acacia longifolia Biological invasions Exotic trees and shrubs Native species Populus alba Patterns of woody plant invasion in an Argentinean coastal grassland
topic_facet	Acacia longifolia Biological invasions Exotic trees and shrubs Native species Populus alba
description	Coastal dune grasslands are fragile ecosystems that have historically been subjected to various types of uses and human activities. In Buenos Aires Province (Argentina), these areas are frequently afforested for urban and touristic development. The introduction and subsequent spread of exotic tree species is one of the main threats to conservation of natural grasslands as invasive trees strongly transform their structure and composition. The aim of this study was to identify patterns of woody plant invasion comparing plant communities and environmental variables between invaded and non-invaded areas surrounding the coastal village of Mar Azul, Argentina. Coastal grasslands in this area are being invaded by Populus alba (white poplar) and Acacia longifolia (coast wattle). The height of the saplings and the richness of the accompanying vegetation were evaluated in relation to the distance from the edge of the mature tree patches. Also, the cover, richness and diversity of all species in the invaded and non-invaded areas were measured, as well as soil pH, temperature and particle size. Negative correlations were found between the height of the saplings and distance to mature tree patches in all areas. The richness of the accompanying vegetation was negatively and positively correlated with the distance from the poplar and acacia area, respectively. The most abundant native species was Cortaderia selloana. Less cover, richness and diversity of native plant species and greater soil particle size were found in invaded areas, where the proportion of bare soil was higher. Also, a higher proportion of leaf litter in the invaded areas was registered. The results emphasize the invasive capacity of P.alba and A.longifolia advancing on the native communities and reducing their richness. Knowledge of the impact of invasive woody plants in coastal grasslands is important to design active management strategies for conservation purposes. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS.
title	Patterns of woody plant invasion in an Argentinean coastal grassland
title_short	Patterns of woody plant invasion in an Argentinean coastal grassland
title_full	Patterns of woody plant invasion in an Argentinean coastal grassland
title_fullStr	Patterns of woody plant invasion in an Argentinean coastal grassland
title_full_unstemmed	Patterns of woody plant invasion in an Argentinean coastal grassland
title_sort	patterns of woody plant invasion in an argentinean coastal grassland
publishDate	2014
url	https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_1146609X_v54_n_p65_Alberio http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_1146609X_v54_n_p65_Alberio
_version_	1768542609255432192

Patterns of woody plant invasion in an Argentinean coastal grassland

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