Hostname: page-component-669899f699-chc8l Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-25T12:22:08.038Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Roads as Corridors for Invasive Plant Species: New Evidence from Smooth Bedstraw (Galium mollugo)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Geneviève Meunier  and
Claude Lavoie
Geneviève Meunier
Affiliation:
École Supérieure d'Aménagement du Territoire et de Développement Régional, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1A 0V6, Canada
Claude Lavoie*
Affiliation:
École Supérieure d'Aménagement du Territoire et de Développement Régional, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1A 0V6, Canada
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: claude.lavoie@esad.ulaval.ca
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Roads function as prime habitats and corridors for invasive plant species, and can contribute significantly to the spread and establishment of weeds inside protected areas. Smooth bedstraw (Galium mollugo) populations have recently expanded in the abandoned agricultural fields of Bic National Park (Quebec, Canada), and may represent a threat to the preservation of plant diversity and to the quality of visitor experience. The main objective of this study was to map the distribution of the species in the park and to delineate factors influencing the abundance of the plant in fallow fields. We hypothesized that road proximity was the main factor explaining the presence and abundance (frequency of recording) of smooth bedstraw in fields. Vegetation surveys were conducted in abandoned agricultural fields, and two logistic regression models were built to examine the relationship between the presence and abundance of smooth bedstraw and environmental and historical variables. Smooth bedstraw populations were also mapped along transportation corridors. The abundance of smooth bedstraw significantly increases within 125 m (410 ft) of a paved road. The recent proliferation of smooth bedstraw in Bic National Park is likely associated with the construction of road embankments during the paving of gravel roads. The paved road network has probably acted as a dispersal corridor for smooth bedstraw, while the abandoned agricultural fields located close to the paved roads provided suitable habitats facilitating population establishment over large areas. We recommended to the park's authorities to cease paving all remaining gravel roads in the park, not only to stop smooth bedstraw invasion, but also the spread of other invasive species of concern.

Keywords

Smooth bedstraw, Galium mollugo L.Abandoned agricultural fieldparkpavingQuebecroad typeroadside
Type
Research
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , March 2012 , pp. 92 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Literature Cited

Belzile, L. 1991. Observations sur la Flore. Parc de Conservation du Bic. Saisons 1988, 1989, 1990. Rimouski, QC, Canada Ministère du Loisir, de la Chasse et de la Pêche du Québec. 126 p.Google Scholar
Boivin, P., Albert, A., and Brisson, J. 2011. Prévenir et Contrôler l'Envahissement des Autoroutes par le Roseau Commun (Phragmites australis). Montréal Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale. 39 p.Google Scholar
Bonham, C. D. 1989. Measurements for Terrestrial Vegetation. New York J. Wiley. 338 p.Google Scholar
Bourgon Desroches, M. 2010. Évaluer le Niveau d'Intégrité Écologique de la Végétation d'un Marais: Le Cas du Marais de la Pointe aux Épinettes, Parc National du Bic. M.ATDR thesis. Quebec City, QC, Canada Université Laval. 56 p.Google Scholar
Brisson, J., de Blois, S., and Lavoie, C. 2010. Roadside as invasion pathway for common reed (Phragmites australis). Invasive Plant Sci. Manag. 3:506–514.Google Scholar
Carl, G. and Kühn, I. 2007. Analyzing spatial autocorrelation in species distributions using Gaussian and logit models. Ecol. Model. 207:159–170.Google Scholar
Cauboue, M., Malenfant, D., Tremblay, J., Guimond, G., and Pineault, S. 1988. Le Reboisement au Québec: Guide-terrain pour le Choix des Essences Résineuses. Quebec City, QC, Canada Ministère de l'Énergie et des Ressources du Québec. 32 p.Google Scholar
Clogg, C. C. and Shihadeh, E. S. 1994. Statistical Models for Ordinal Variables. Thousand Oaks, CA Sage. 192 p.Google Scholar
Fortin, D. and Belzile, L. 1996. Le Parc du Bic. Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada Trécarré. 89 p.Google Scholar
Foxcroft, L. C., Jarošík, V., Pyšek, P., Richardson, D. M., and Rouget, M. 2011. Protected-area boundaries as filters of plant invasions. Conserv. Biol. 25:400–405.Google Scholar
Gabbard, B. L. and Fowler, N. L. 2007. Wide ecological amplitude of a diversity-reducing invasive grass. Biol. Invasions 9:149–160.Google Scholar
Gelbard, J. L. and Belnap, J. 2003. Roads as conduits for exotic plant invasions in a semiarid landscape. Conserv. Biol. 17:420–432.Google Scholar
Greenberg, C. H., Crownover, S. H., and Gordon, D. R. 1997. Roadside soils: a corridor for invasion of xeric scrub by nonindigenous plants. Nat. Areas J. 17:99–109.Google Scholar
Guisan, A. and Harrell, F. E. 2000. Ordinal response regression models in ecology. J. Veg. Sci. 11:617–626.Google Scholar
Hansen, M. J. and Clevenger, A. P. 2005. The influence of disturbance and habitat on the presence of non-native plant species along transport corridors. Biol. Conserv. 125:249–259.Google Scholar
Hébert, B-P. 1998. Régression avec une Variable Dépendante Ordinale: Comparaison de la Performance de Deux Modèles Logistiques Ordinaux et du Modèle Linéaire Classique à l'Aide de Données Simulées. Ph.D dissertation. Quebec City, QC, Canada: Université Laval. 180 p.Google Scholar
Hosmer, D. W. and Lemeshow, S. 2000. Applied Logistic Regression. 2nd ed. New York J. Wiley. 373 p.Google Scholar
Ivany, J. A. and Rodd, V. 2006. Response of smooth bedstraw (Galium mollugo) to several herbicides. Can. J. Plant Sci. 86:759–760.Google Scholar
Jodoin, Y., Lavoie, C., Villeneuve, P., Thériault, M., Beaulieu, J., and Belzile, F. 2008. Highways as corridors and habitats for the invasive common reed Phragmites australis in Quebec, Canada. J. Appl. Ecol. 45:459–466.Google Scholar
Joly, M., Bertrand, P., Gbangou, R. Y., White, M-C., Dubé, J., and Lavoie, C. 2011. Paving the way for invasive species: road types and the spread of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Environ. Manag. 48:514–522.Google Scholar
Justin, S. H. F. W. and Armstrong, W. 1987. The anatomical characteristics of roots and plant response to soil flooding. New Phytol. 106:465–495.Google Scholar
Kalwij, J. M., Milton, S. J., and McGeoch, M. A. 2008. Road verges as invasion corridors? A spatial hierarchical test in an arid ecosystem. Landscape Ecol. 23:439–451.Google Scholar
Karim, M. N. and Mallik, A. U. 2008. Roadside revegetation by native plants. I. Roadside microhabitats, floristic zonation and species traits. Ecol. Eng. 32:222–237.Google Scholar
Kelly, C. K. and Beerling, D. J. 1995. Plant life form, stomatal density and taxonomic relatedness: a reanalysis of Salisbury (1927). Funct. Ecol. 9:422–431.Google Scholar
Lafond, R., Cauchon, C., and Ducruc, J-P. 1992. Pédologie Forestière. Mont-Royal, QC, Canada Modulo. 146 p.Google Scholar
Larson, D. L. 2003. Native weeds and exotic plants: relationships to disturbance in mixed-grass prairie. Plant Ecol. 169:317–333.Google Scholar
Lavigne, P-J., Daoust, G., Delisle, R., Lachapelle, A., Ruest, J-C., Saint-Pierre, C., and Sirois, L. 1976. Parc du Bic. Inventaire Biogéographique. Quebec City, QC, Canada Ministère du Loisir, de la Chasse et de la Pêche du Québec. 150 p.Google Scholar
Lavoie, C. and Saint-Louis, A. 2008. Can a small park preserve its flora? A historical study of Bic National Park, Quebec. Botany 86:26–35.Google Scholar
LeBlanc, M-C., de Blois, S., and Lavoie, C. 2010. The invasion of a large lake by the Eurasian genotype of common reed: the influence of roads and residential construction. J. Great Lakes Res. 36:554–560.Google Scholar
Lelong, B., Lavoie, C., Jodoin, Y., and Belzile, F. 2007. Expansion pathways of the exotic common reed (Phragmites australis): a historical and genetic analysis. Divers. Distrib. 13:430–437.Google Scholar
Lelong, B., Lavoie, C., and Thériault, M. 2009. Quels sont les facteurs qui facilitent l'implantation du roseau commun (Phragmites australis) le long des routes du sud du Québec? Écoscience 16:224–237.Google Scholar
Lonsdale, W. M. and Lane, A. M. 1994. Tourist vehicles as vectors of weed seeds in Kakadu National Park, Northern Australia. Biol. Conserv. 69:277–283.Google Scholar
Maheu-Giroux, M. and de Blois, S. 2007. Landscape ecology of Phragmites australis invasion in a network of linear wetlands. Landscape Ecol. 22:285–301.Google Scholar
Menard, S. W. 1995. Applied Logistic Regression Analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA Sage. 98 p.Google Scholar
Mersereau, D. and DiTommaso, A. 2003. The biology of Canadian weeds. 121. Galium mollugo L. Can. J. Plant Sci. 83:453–466.Google Scholar
Meunier, G. 2008. Le Gaillet Mollugine (Galium mollugo L.) Envahisseur: Analyse de sa Répartition et de ses Impacts sur la Diversité Végétale au Parc National du Bic. M.ATDR thesis. Quebec City, QC, Canada: Université Laval. 52 p.Google Scholar
Pauchard, A. and Alaback, P. B. 2004. Influence of elevation, land use, and landscape context on patterns of alien plant invasions along roadsides in protected areas of south-central Chile. Conserv. Biol. 18:238–248 Google Scholar
Pomerleau, R. 1987. Parc du Bic. Le plan Directeur. Quebec City, QC, Canada Ministère du Loisir, de la Chasse et de la Pêche du Québec. 210 p.Google Scholar
Rentch, J. S., Fortney, R. H., Stephenson, S. L., Adams, H. S., Grafton, W. N., and Anderson, J. T. 2005. Vegetation-site relationships of roadside plant communities in West Virginia, USA. J. Appl. Ecol. 42:129–138.Google Scholar
Sokal, R. R. and Rohlf, F. J. 1995. Biometry: The Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research. 3rd ed. New York W. H. Freeman. 887 p.Google Scholar
Tyser, R. W. and Worley, C. A. 1992. Alien flora in grasslands adjacent to road and trail corridors in Glacier National Park, Montana (U.S.A.). Conserv. Biol. 6:253–262.Google Scholar
U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2011. PLANTS Database. http://plants.usda.gov. Accessed: June 29, 2011.Google Scholar
von der Lippe, M. and Kowarik, I. 2007. Long-distance dispersal of plants by vehicles as a driver of plant invasions. Conserv. Biol. 21:986–996.Google Scholar
Young, L. J. and Young, J. H. 1998. Statistical Ecology. A Population Perspective. Boston, MA Kluwer Academic. 565 p.Google Scholar