The intermediate disturbance hypothesis and plant invasions: Implications for species richness and management

Catford, Jane A.; Daehler, Curtis C.; Murphy, Helen T.; Sheppard, Andy; Hardesty, Britta Denise; Westcott, David A.; Rejmánek, Marcel; Bellingham, Peter J.; Pergl, Jan; Horvitz, Carol C.; Hulme, Philip E.

doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2011.12.002

Cited by 295 publications

(206 citation statements)

References 113 publications

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“…This would make alien plants stronger competitors. In the context of the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis, which proposes higher species diversity at intermediate frequencies or intensities of disturbance (see Wilkinson, 1999) 14 , alien plants are likely to have the greatest impact on community diversity when resources become limited and plant diversity is highest, by co-opting more resources 27 .…”

Section: The Human Release Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

The Human Release Hypothesis for biological invasions: human activity as a determinant of the abundance of invasive plant species

et al. 2014

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Research on biological invasions has increased rapidly over the past 30 years, generating numerous explanations of how species become invasive. While the mechanisms of invasive species establishment are well studied, the mechanisms driving abundance patterns (i.e. patterns of population density) remain poorly understood. Invasive species typically have higher abundances in their new environments than in their native ranges, and patterns of invasive species abundance differ between invaded regions. To explain differences in invasive species abundance, we propose the Human Release Hypothesis. In parallel to the established Enemy Release Hypothesis, this hypothesis states that the abundance of invasive species may be partly explained by the level of human activity or landscape maintenance, with intermediate levels of human activity providing optimal conditions for high abundance. The Human Release Hypothesis does not negate other important drivers of species invasions, but rather should be considered as a potentially important additional or complementary mechanism. We illustrate the hypothesis via a case study on an invasive rose species, and hypothesize which locations globally may be most likely to support high abundances of invasive species. We propose that more extensive empirical work on the Human Release Hypothesis could be useful to test its general applicability.

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Section: The Human Release Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

The Human Release Hypothesis for biological invasions: human activity as a determinant of the abundance of invasive plant species

et al. 2014

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“…Why did this occur? In the F dunes, there were moderate soil moisture and nutrient conditions, and soil heterogeneity following sand fixation, which were similar to intermediate disturbance habitats (Connell 1978;Catford et al 2012). This kind of habitat could provide adequate opportunities and suitable environmental conditions for the colonization and survival of plants with different types and life forms (Bever 2003;Li 2005;Zuo et al 2009;Song et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Relationships between Artemisia ordosica communities and environmental factors following sand-dune stabilization in the Mu Us desert, northwest China

et al. 2016

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Artemisia ordosica is an excellent sand-fixing shrub for sand stabilization in northwestern China. Sand dune stabilization, a critically important process, leads changes in abiotic factors, such as soil structure and nutrient contents. However, the effects of factors on an A. ordosica community following sand stabilization remain unclear. In this study, we used canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to examine the relationships between A. ordosica communities and environmental factors at three habitats: semi-fixed dune (SF), fixed dune with low-coverage biological soil crust (F), and fixed dune with highcoverage biological soil crust (FC) in Mu Us desert. The mean height and coverage of plants increased with sand stabilization, while species diversity and richness increased initially and then reduced significantly. Correlation analysis and CCA revealed that slope, soil organic carbon, and nutrient contents, proportion of fine soil particles, soil moisture, and thickness of biological soil crust were all highly correlated with vegetation characteristics. These environmental factors could explain 40.42 % of the vegetation-environment relationships at the three habitats. The distribution of plant species was positively related to soil moisture in the SF dune. Soil moisture, soil nutrient, and fine-particle contents mainly affected plants distribution in the F dune. In the FC dune, distribution of plant species was positively and negatively correlated with the thickness of biological soil crust and soil moisture at a depth 0-20 cm, respectively. The dominance value of typical steppe species increased significantly following sand-dune stabilization and relations between species and samples in CCA ordination bi-plots showed that perennial grasses could invade the A. ordosica community on FC, indicating A. ordosica communities had a tendency to change into typical steppe vegetation with the further fixation. We conclude that the significant differentiation not only occurred in community characteristics, but also in the relationships between vegetation and environmental factors among the three stages of dune fixation. So, restoration of degraded dune ecosystems should be based on habitat conditions and ecological needs.

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“…Experimental studies (Arthaud et al, 2012) as well as theoretical arguments (Catford et al, 2012) suggest that species richness peaks at the intermediate stage of succession after disturbance. Any engineering activity, including wetland restoration, is an apparent disturbance to plant community.…”

Section: Species Richnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

A five year study of floristic succession in a restored urban wetland

Richardson

2013

Ecological Engineering

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a b s t r a c tThe Stream and Wetland Assessment Management Park (SWAMP) project created a wetland-stream complex that encompasses a wide array of micro-environments and hydrology. These diverse habitats were designed to facilitate ecosystem diversity via enhanced pathways for ecological succession during restoration. We took an empirical approach to examine floral succession under natural processes following wetland restoration of floodplain and marsh habitats. Survey plots were set up in four forest gaps in palustrine wetlands, each containing a Low Marsh and a High Marsh. During five years of recovery from the soil disturbance and upland vegetation removal, wetland species richness gradually increased from 24 to 38 species in the Low Marshes, where waterlogged conditions precluded upland species invasions. Conversely, upland species richness quickly declined from 69 to 29 species over time in the High Marsh, now subjected to increase flooding. The species successional patterns suggest a slower turnover in the wet Low Marsh, but faster turnover in the moist High Marsh. Following the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, we observed that High Marsh species richness reached its maximum in the first year of the vegetation survey, whereas even after five years the plant diversity in the Low Marsh has yet to peak. The once widespread Ligustrum sinense (Chinese privet) was decimated following the SWAMP restoration. However, the exotic invasive species, Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass) dominated the floodplain except in the wettest Low Marsh sites. Given the successional patterns of increased wetland species following restoration, we recommend removal of woody invasive species such as L. sinense to prevent their re-establishment followed by long-term monitoring and continued removal (5-7 years) of invasive species to allow native species establishment. Our study shows that the creation of wetter floodplain habitats with increased flooding suppresses the establishment of the highly invasive M. vimineum.

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The intermediate disturbance hypothesis and plant invasions: Implications for species richness and management

Cited by 295 publications

References 113 publications

The Human Release Hypothesis for biological invasions: human activity as a determinant of the abundance of invasive plant species

The Human Release Hypothesis for biological invasions: human activity as a determinant of the abundance of invasive plant species

Relationships between Artemisia ordosica communities and environmental factors following sand-dune stabilization in the Mu Us desert, northwest China

A five year study of floristic succession in a restored urban wetland

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