Soil fertility response to Ulex europaeus invasion and restoration efforts

Bateman, Jesse Bloom; Vitousek, Peter M.

doi:10.1007/s10530-018-1729-9

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Gorse is viewed negatively as a weed in the Midlands and is removed at farmers expense both to increase the amount of pasture and through expenditure of conservation funding. To date, there has been little research on the effects of the removal of Gorse on wildlife, although it is known to alter soil chemical profiles and hydrology (Soto & Diaz‐Fierros ; Bateman & Vitousek ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exotic woody weed in a pastoral landscape provides habitat for many native species, but has no apparent threatened species conservation significance

Ranyard¹,

Kirkpatrick²,

Johnson³

et al. 2018

Eco Management Restoration

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Summary Exotic woody plants are often used by native organisms, but may also be targets of expensive control justified by nature conservation. We determine the use of a weed of national significance, Gorse (Ulex europaeus L.), by native mammals, birds, reptiles and vascular plants in pastoral areas in an Australian biodiversity hotspot. Large numbers of fauna species were observed using Gorse within our 43 × 1 ha sample sites in riparian, woodland and pasture vegetation. Gorse cover and/or height positively influenced: the detection of mammals as a whole in an interaction with visibility at 50–75 cm above ground, but not their species richness or individual species abundances; bird abundance, but not richness; and, reptile richness but not abundance. In terms of flora, Gorse cover and/or height positively affected: non‐native plant species richness and the height and fecundity, but not the richness, of native grasses and forbs—but Gorse cover negatively influenced the height of native herbs. The only species of conservation significance using Gorse were three mammals, only one of which, the Tasmanian Pademelon (Thylogale billardieri), was sufficiently common to analyse. Its abundance had no relationship with Gorse cover or height. Even in the wider context of complementary work, there is no strong threatened species conservation justification for retaining Gorse thickets in the Northern Midlands pastoral landscape. Equally, expending scarce conservation resources to remove Gorse, as is taking place, is unlikely to achieve any threatened species conservation outcome but may help reduce long‐term loss of native animal and plant species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exotic woody weed in a pastoral landscape provides habitat for many native species, but has no apparent threatened species conservation significance

Ranyard¹,

Kirkpatrick²,

Johnson³

et al. 2018

Eco Management Restoration

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“…The consequences of clearing these invasive plants on soil properties is however not fully understood at present. Both A. mearnsii and C. scoparius show significant legacy effects on soil properties following clearance (Unkule 2017; Slesak et al 2021), while the impacts of U. europaeus appear to be potentially reversible (Bateman & Vitousek 2018). In addition to using fire to restore soil nutrient cycling where appropriate, there is also a need to explore the effectiveness of other strategies to reduce nutrient levels such as planting fast‐growing native grassland species (post‐clearing of invasives) to sequester nutrients in biomass, and their subsequent removal and replacement by perennial grassland species (II).…”

Section: Applying the Framework For Restoration Of The Invaded Shola‐grassland Ecosystem In South Indiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoring tropical forest–grassland mosaics invaded by woody exotics

Raghurama

Sankaran

2021

Restoration Ecology

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Although important for biological conservation and provisioning of several ecosystem services, tropical forest–grassland mosaics face several threats, one of which is woody invasion in grasslands of these mosaics—an issue proving to be challenging to solve. We present a framework to guide grassland restoration in these mosaics that takes into account their unique ecology, outlines a general chronological sequence of restoration activities, and helps identify research priorities to guide restoration efforts. Specifically, we outline approaches to (1) increase the cost‐effectiveness of restoration programs (e.g. selecting restoration targets and priority sites); (2) restore edaphic processes impacted by woody invasion; (3) maximize the establishment of native grass and forb species, and (4) maintain restored communities in the long‐term by minimizing re‐invasions. We apply this framework to montane southern Indian forest‐grassland mosaics (locally called shola‐grassland mosaics) invaded by nitrogen‐fixing woody exotics to identify research priorities that can act as “game‐changers” in the restoration of these ecosystems. These include (1) identifying invaded areas where passive restoration can be effective, (2) understanding the role of endogenous disturbances, particularly fire, in the spread and management of invasive species and the prevention of re‐invasion, and (3) assessing the role of large‐scale seed farming and emerging seed technologies for the use of seeds to effectively re‐introduce native grassland species. Restoration frameworks that take into account unique ecologies are needed to make the most of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and we present such a framework for forest‐grassland mosaics—an important ecosystem that is generally neglected.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A N 2 -fixing species, able to alter soil properties is Ulex europaeus L. (Fabaceae), commonly known as ‘gorse’ (Bateman and Vitousek, 2018). It is a native species from NW Europe and a serious invader in many world regions, such as Chile, Australia, Sri Lanka, Hawaii or in the west coast of USA (Clements et al ., 2001; Bateman and Vitousek, 2018). This species has been intentionally introduced in many countries as a livestock fodder plant or as a living fence, but it has also arrived accidentally by zoochory in animal's fur, being now an invasive species distributed worldwide (Norambuena and Piper, 2000; Clements et al ., 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The other way around: the utility of a plant invader

Briones-Rizo

Corona

Medina-Villar

2023

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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Invasive species control management involves a large amount of plant material. The present work evaluated the allelopathic potential of the invasive species Ulex europaeus L. (Fabaceae) or ‘Gorse’ and its possible use as a bioherbicide, taking advantage of the extracted plant material after control measures, particularly needed in invaded areas. Specifically, we investigated the efficacy of dried plant material from U. europaeus in the control of the adventitious plants, Lolium multiflorum Lam. and Lolium rigidum Gaud., using the Avena sativa L. crop as a case study. We only used vegetative plant parts because it is essential to avoid the dispersion of U. europaeus with its use, especially in invaded areas. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted, using activated carbon (AC). The target species (L. multiflorum, L. rigidum and A. sativa) were subjected to a mixture of organic substrate with U. europaeus mulch applied pre-emergence and a subsequent application of aqueous extracts from the mulch. Emergence, height and biomass of the target species were determined. After 2 months, we also tested a possible legacy effect of the substrate on the germination of the target species. We noticed a negative effect of U. europaeus mulch on the emergence of L. rigidum, which can be attributable to the allelopathic compounds released from U. europaeus mulch because the effect was non-significant in presence of AC. Conversely, no effect on L. multiflorum or A. sativa was produced by mulch treatments. Nevertheless, the combination of U. europaeus mulch and its extracts demonstrated a phytotoxic effect on the biomass of the crop species A. sativa, and a fertilizing effect on the weeds L. multiflorum and L. rigidum, which is why this use is discouraged. With our results we cannot recommend the use of U. europaeus as a bioherbicide in oat crops, but this study emphasizes the capability of U. europaeus to structure plant communities through the chemic- and bio-properties of its tissues that modifies the soil environment.

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Soil fertility response to Ulex europaeus invasion and restoration efforts

Cited by 14 publications

References 52 publications

An exotic woody weed in a pastoral landscape provides habitat for many native species, but has no apparent threatened species conservation significance

An exotic woody weed in a pastoral landscape provides habitat for many native species, but has no apparent threatened species conservation significance

Restoring tropical forest–grassland mosaics invaded by woody exotics

The other way around: the utility of a plant invader

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