Effects of cutting and sowing seeds of native species on giant ragweed invasion and plant diversity in a field experimen
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(2020) 44:28
Journal of Ecology and Environment
RESEARCH
Open Access
Effects of cutting and sowing seeds of native species on giant ragweed invasion and plant diversity in a field experiment Chaeho Byun1,2, Ho Choi3 and Hojeong Kang2*
Abstract Background: Ambrosia trifida is a highly invasive annual plant, but effective control methods have not been proposed. Among various eradication methods, cutting is a simple measure to control invasive plants, and sowing seeds of native plants may effectively increase biotic resistance to invasion. In this study, we conducted a field experiment with two treatments: cutting and sowing seeds of six native or naturalized plants. Results: We found a significantly lower A. trifida abundance after cutting than in the control (77% decrease). Sowing seeds of native species did not provide any additional benefit for the control of A. trifida, but increased the importance values and diversity of other native vegetation. The abundance of A. trifida was negatively correlated with that of other plant taxa based on plant cover, biomass, and density. However, biotic resistance of sown plants was not effective to control invasion because A. trifida was so competitive. Conclusions: We concluded that cutting is an effective measure to control Ambrosia trifida while sowing seeds of native plants can increase native plant diversity. Keywords: Ambrosia trifida, Biotic resistance, Eradication methods, Invasive plant management, Plant restoration
Introduction Ambrosia trifida, commonly called giant ragweed, is a troublesome weed species worldwide, which is native to North America (Bassett and Crompton 1982). It is a noxious weed for crop plants (Baysinger and Sims 1991; Harrison et al. 2001; Brandes and Nitzsche 2006) and is thus listed as one of the most ecologically destructive weeds (Kong et al. 2007). In addition, it decreases plant diversity by dominating communities, accounting for most of the plant biomass (Abul-Fatih and Bazzaz 1979; Washitani 2001). It is also harmful to humans, as it produces pollen with the potential to cause allergic reactions (Gadermaier et al. 2004). It is considered as a very noxious invasive plant in South Korea.
* Correspondence: [email protected] 2 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Yonsei-ro 50, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, South Korea Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
Conventionally, invasive plants are controlled by cutting and herbicide application (Kettenring and Adams 2011). Controlling A. trifida is extremely difficult owing to its strong resistance to herbicides (Vink et al. 2012). The repeated application of herbicides may be required to control such invasive plants (Derr 2008; Kaur et al. 2014), which is costly and may lead to other environmental problems, such as bioaccumulation (Wolfaardt et al. 1995). Cutting has not been evaluated as a control method for A. trifida. A closely related species, the common ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia, is well controlled by cutting (Simard an
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