A Global Review of Ligustrum Lucidum (OLEACEAE) Invasion

Abstract

Ligustrum lucidum is a highly invasive East Asian tree that successfully colonizes several subtropical and temperate areas around the world. Its invasion capacity results from a widespread human use mostly in urban and periurban settings, very abundant fruit and seed production, small bird-dispersed fruits, high germination rates, resprouting capacity, fast growth rates, low herbivory levels and tolerance to a wide range of light, temperature and soil. All these traits contribute to its ability to rapidly increase in abundance, alter biodiversity, landscape ecology and limit its management. This paper reviews the current knowledge on L. lucidum with particular focus on its uses, distribution, invasiveness, ecological and economic impacts and control measures. Most relevant aspect of the review highlight the negative ecological impacts of L. lucidum, its potential to continue expanding its range of distribution and the need of further studies on the eco-physiology of the species, economic impact and social perception of its invasion and early warning systems.

Economic impact of invasive alien species in Argentina: a first national synthesis

“…Increasing such knowledge is important as prioritization and management of IAS in developing and developed countries may differ (Nuñez and Pauchard 2010). In this regard, developing countries such as Argentina present a flowering scientific community working on different socio-ecological aspects of biological invasions, which is reflected in the increasing number of publications in this field (e.g., Schwindt and Bortolus 2017;Kay et al 2018;Nuñez and Paritsis 2018;Urcelay et al 2019;Ballari et al 2020;Fernandez et al 2020;Huertas Herrera et al 2020). In addition, in the last six years IAS became a priority of the Argentina government through a national strategy that aims to study, control and eradicate invasive species and to improve institutional capacities to manage biological invasions (MAyDS and FAO 2019).…”

“…However, to date, there is no public, open-access database that would facilitate collection and access to information on economic costs incurred by all IAS that could guide policy-makers. Moreover, very few studies report how much is actually spent on research or management of IAS (Fernandez et al 2020, but see Zilio 2019. Consequently, there is a lack of consistent and complete information on the economic cost of biological invasions in Argentina.…”

Predicting current and future global distribution of invasive Ligustrum lucidum W.T. Aiton: Assessing emerging risks to biodiversity hotspots

“…It is important to account for current and potential future spread of invasive plant species into hotspots as they can have massive ecosystem effects, wholly changing hydrology, biogeochemical cycles and, ultimately, biodiversity (Mittermeier et al, 2004). Ligustrum lucidum introduction is lead by humans and could invade different hotspots reducing their biodiversity (Fernandez et al, 2020). Hence, these areas should be considered a priority to early detection and control strategies, both under current and future climate change scenarios.…”

“…Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum W.T. Aiton, Oleaceae) is a highly invasive tree species present on all continents except Antarctica (Fernandez et al, 2020). The species' original distributional range is thought to have been constrained to the centre-west of China, including Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Hunan provinces (De Juana, 2009).…”

A Survey of Endophytic Fungi Associated with High-Risk Plants Imported for Ornamental Purposes

“…Several species of the genus have been cultivated in many areas of the world as urban ornamental hedge and street trees. In particular, the most widespread species L. lucidum compete with and inhibit the regeneration of native flora, becoming invasive in many areas with a subtropical and temperate climate, such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania [123]. Due to its active constituents such as glycosides, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, phenylethanoid, and terpenoids, Ligustrum spp.…”