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Forest canopy resists plant invasions: a case study of Chromolaena odorata in Sal (Shorea robusta) forests of Nepal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2022

L. N. Sharma Open the ORCID record for L. N. Sharma [Opens in a new window] ,
B. Adhikari ,
M. F. Watson ,
B. B. Shrestha ,
E. Paudel ,
B. Karna  and
D. P. Rijal
L. N. Sharma*
Affiliation:
ForestAction, Nepal, Bagdol Ringroad, Lalitpur, Nepal
B. Adhikari
Affiliation:
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20a Inverleith Row, Scotland, UK, EH3 5LR
M. F. Watson
Affiliation:
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20a Inverleith Row, Scotland, UK, EH3 5LR
B. B. Shrestha
Affiliation:
Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal
E. Paudel
Affiliation:
Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal
B. Karna
Affiliation:
ForestAction, Nepal, Bagdol Ringroad, Lalitpur, Nepal
D. P. Rijal
Affiliation:
Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT: The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
*
Author for correspondence: L. N. Sharma, Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Invasive alien species are a major threat to global biodiversity due to the tremendous ecological and economic damage they cause in forestry, agriculture, wetlands, and pastoral resources. Understanding the spatial pattern of invasive alien species and disentangling the biophysical drivers of invasion at the forest stand level is essential for managing forest ecosystems and the wider landscape. However, forest-level and species-specific information on Invasive Alien Plant Species (IAPS) abundance and their spatial extent are largely lacking. In this context, we analysed the cover of one of the world’s worst invasive plants, Chromolaena odorata, in Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in central Nepal. Vegetation was sampled in four community forests using 0.01 ha square quadrats, covering the forest edge to the interior. C. odorata cover, floral richness, tree density, forest canopy cover, shrub cover, tree basal area, and disturbances were measured in each plot. We also explored forest and IAPS management practices in community forests. C. odorata cover was negatively correlated with forest canopy cover, distance to the road, angle of slope, and shrub cover. Tree canopy cover had the largest effect on C. odorata cover. No pattern of C. odorata cover was seen along native species richness gradients. In conclusion, forest canopy cover is the overriding biotic covariate suppressing C. odorata cover in Sal forests.

Keywords

Biotic resistancecanopy coverdisturbanceforest managementinvasive alien species
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , March 2022 , pp. 49 - 57
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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