| Abstract Detail
Ecological Section Bovee, K.M. [1]. Scale-dependent associations of invasive Linaria vulgaris and native plant diversity in Colorado. I examined associations between the occurrence of Linaria vulgaris (Plantaginaceae), a high priority invasive species in Colorado, and native plant diversity in the Gunnison National Forest, Colorado. The presence of invasive species is often associated with diverse plant communities at the landscape scale. This runs contrary to Elton’s diversity-invasibility paradigm but is a pattern observed in many ecosystems. It is thought that this positive correlation holds true because the same factors that drive native species diversity also drive successful plant invasion. While at the landscape scale L. vulgaris has invaded species-rich upland meadows, the occurrence of L. vulgaris is associated with lower-diversity patches within those communities. The relationship between invasive presence and native species richness is highly scale-dependent. In 1 m2 plots, there were significant negative associations between L. vulgaris density and native species richness and between L. vulgaris presence and certain native species frequencies. 1000 m2 plots, however, were not significantly less species rich than non-invaded plots. Density effects, competitive interactions, or the exploitation of empty niches in species-depauperate local patches may explain the observed negative relationship between invasion success and native plant diversity at smaller spatial scales.
1 - University of Minnesota, Plant Biological Sciences, 1445 Gortner Ave., St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108
Keywords:
invasive species
Linaria vulgaris.
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 32-27
Location: Special Event Center (Cliff Lodge)
Date: Tuesday, August 3rd, 2004
Time: 12:30 PM
Abstract ID:237 |
