Threat analysis of two large epiphytic species in the wet forest of a tropical island: impact of invasive plants
| MSI11P4578 | |
| Baider, C Bindewald, A M Florens, F B V | |
| Threat analysis of two large epiphytic species in the wet forest of a tropical island: impact of invasive plants | |
| [Programme and Abstracts] - Adaptability to climate change and attaining the Millennium Development Goals for tropical ecosystems. The 2011 Joint International Meeting of the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation and the Society for Conservation Biology (Africa Section), Narua Spring Hotel. Arusha, Tanzania, 12-16 June 2011 | |
| The 2011 Joint International Meeting of the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation and the Society for Conservation Biology (Africa Section) "Adaptability to climate change and attaining the Millennium Development Goals for tropical ecosystems", Narua Spring Hotel. Arusha, Tanzania, 12-16 June 2011 | |
| book chapter | |
| 2011 | |
| p. 46 | |
| Abstract only. | |
| En | |
| Epiphytes form an important component of tropical forest diversity and biomass and play a significant role in carbon, water and nutrient cycling in these ecosystems. They are also important in supporting diverse animal communities. Many studies have focussed on the diversity, ecology or biogeography of tropical epiphytes and more recently a number of studies have investigated the threats besetting this guild. Such threats include for example the impact of deforestation, habitat fragmentation, fire or climate change. However, there is at present a virtually complete lack of studies focussing on the impact of invasive alien plants on tropical forest epiphytes despite the fact that alien plant invasions are set to inexorably worsen worldwide. In this study, we investigated the ecological requirements of two widespread large epiphytic ferns (Asplenium nidus L. and Micrososum punctatum (L.) Copel.) and the impact of invasive alien plants on their maintenance in the wet tropical forests of Mauritius, an island in the Western Indian Ocean. Fern density, population structure and spatial distribution were compared between forests that were invaded by alien plants and adjacent forests where all invasive plants had been eradicated 14 and 24 years earlier. We also investigated the impact of forest quality (measured in terms of density of trees >10 cm diameter at breast height) on the two fern species. Invasive alien plants constituted poor substratum for the establishment of the ferns and the eradication of invasive alien plants elicited a strong recovery of the two fern species that was particularly perceptible 24 years after eradication. An alien plant driven distribution shift of the ferns that would increase their vulnerability to climate change was also apparent. This study shows that invasive alien plants can constitute a serious threat to the maintenance of epiphytes and their ecological roles in tropical forests | |
| Epiphytes ferns Asplenium nidus L. Micrososum punctatum tropical island forests flora invasive plants invasive alien plants | |
| Mauritius | |
| Flora | |
| 2011-09-14 | |
| En | |
| LIB(pdf); HERB | |
| CAT | |
| HERB |