Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T09:04:00.760Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Passive Reestablishment of Riparian Vegetation Following Removal of Invasive Knotweed (Polygonum)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Shannon M. Claeson  and
Peter A. Bisson
Shannon M. Claeson*
Affiliation:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3625 93rd Avenue SW, Olympia, WA 98512
Peter A. Bisson
Affiliation:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3625 93rd Avenue SW, Olympia, WA 98512
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: sclaeson@fs.fed.us
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Japanese knotweed and congeners are invasive to North America and Europe and spread aggressively along rivers establishing dense monotypic stands, thereby reducing native riparian plant diversity, structure, and function. Noxious weed control programs attempt to eradicate the knotweed with repeated herbicide applications under the assumption that the system will recover to a native assemblage which will inhibit future invasions. However, eradication efficacy studies typically only measure the amount of knotweed reduced, not the reestablished species diversity or plant origins. For a community scale efficacy study, we measured vascular plant species diversity and cover in riparian areas along five rivers in Washington State, 3 to 6 years after Bohemian knotweed was initially treated with herbicide. Plant species composition was compared between riparian sites treated to remove knotweed and reference sites where knotweed was absent. Sites where knotweed had been removed had significantly more exotic species and vegetative cover than reference sites; however, native species richness and cover were greater in reference sites and areas with more overstory vegetation. The native plants observed were primarily shade tolerant and perennial, as opposed to many of the exotics, which were shade-intolerant annuals. In general, reestablishment of native and exotic vegetation was not related to pretreatment knotweed stem count, size of the invaded area, or timing of herbicide application. However, residual native tree cover was negatively correlated with initial knotweed stem count. Monitoring the success of restoration objectives (e.g., native plant reestablishment or increased species diversity) and characterizing associated habitat features following knotweed eradication will help in the development of site-specific protocols for successful plant community scale restoration.

Keywords

GlyphosateimazapyrBohemian knotweed, Polygonum × bohemicum Zika & JacobsonJapanese knotweed, Polygonum cuspidatum L. Sieb. & Zucc. POLCUCommunity compositionexoticinvasivenativenonnative
Type
Research
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , June 2013 , pp. 208 - 218
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Bashtanova, U. B., Beckett, K. P., and Flowers, T. J. 2009. Review: Physiological approaches to the improvement of chemical control of Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica). Weed Sci. 57:584–592.Google Scholar
Butler, J. L. and Wacker, S. D. 2010. Lack of native vegetation recovery following biological control of leafy spurge. Rangeland Ecol. Manage. 63:553–563.Google Scholar
Cuevas, Y. A. and Zalba, S. M. 2010. Recovery of native grasslands after removing invasive pines. Restor. Ecol. 18:711–719.Google Scholar
Dassonville, N., Guillaumaud, N., Piola, F., Meerts, P., and Poly, F. 2011. Niche construction by the invasive Asian knotweeds (species complex Fallopia): impact on activity, abundance and community structure of denitrifiers and nitrifiers. Biol. Invasions 13:1115–1133.Google Scholar
Davis, M. A., Grime, J. P., and Thompson, K. 2000. Fluctuating resources in plant communities: a general theory of invasibility. J. Ecol. 88:528–534.Google Scholar
Dufrene, M. and Legendre, P. 1997. Species assemblages and indicator species: the need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecol. Monogr. 67:345–366.Google Scholar
Funk, J. L. and McDaniel, S. 2010. Altering light availability to restore invaded forest: the predictive role of plant traits. Restor. Ecol. 18:865–872.Google Scholar
Gerber, E., Krebs, C., Murrell, C., Moretti, M., Rocklin, R., and Schaffner, U. 2008. Exotic invasive knotweeds (Fallopia spp.) negatively affect native plant and invertebrate assemblages in European riparian habitats. Biol. Conserv. 141:646–654.Google Scholar
Gregory, S. V., Swanson, F. J., McKee, W. A., and Cummins, K. W. 1991. An ecosystem perspective of riparian zones. Bioscience 41:540–551.Google Scholar
Hitchcock, C. L. and Cronquist, A. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA University of Washington Press. 730 p.Google Scholar
Holmes, P. M., Richardson, D. M., Esler, K. J., Witkowski, E. T. F., and Fourie, S. 2005. A decision-making framework for restoring riparian zones degraded by invasive alien plants in South Africa. S. Afr. J. Sci. 101:553–564.Google Scholar
Hood, W. G. and Naiman, R. J. 2000. Vulnerability of riparian zones to invasion by exotic vascular plants. Plant Ecol. 148:105–114.Google Scholar
Howell, C. J. 2012. Progress toward environmental weed eradication in New Zealand. Invasive Plant Sci. Manage. 5:249–258.Google Scholar
Hupp, C. R. and Osterkamp, W. R. 1996. Riparian vegetation and fluvial geomorphic processes. Geomorphology 14:277–295.Google Scholar
Lecerf, A., Patfield, D., Boiche, A., Riipinen, M. P., Chauvet, E., and Dobson, M. 2007. Stream ecosystems respond to riparian invasion by Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 64:1273–1283.Google Scholar
Lowe, S. J., Browne, M., and Boudjelas, S. 2000. 100 of the world's worst invasive alien species. Auckland, N. Z. IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG). 11 p.Google Scholar
Magee, T. K., Ringold, P. L., and Bollman, M. A. 2008. Alien species importance in native vegetation along wadeable streams, John Day River basin, Oregon, USA. Plant Ecol. 195:287–307.Google Scholar
McClain, C. D., Holl, K. D., and Wood, D. M. 2011. Successional models as guides for restoration of riparian forest understory. Restor. Ecol. 19:280–289.Google Scholar
McHugh, J. M. 2006. A review of literature and field practices focused on the management and control of invasive knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum, P. sachalinense, P. polystachyum and hybrids). West Haven, VT The Nature Conservancy. 30 p.Google Scholar
Naiman, R. J., Bilby, R. E., and Bisson, P. A. 2000. Riparian ecology and management in the Pacific coastal rain forest. Bioscience 50:996–1011.Google Scholar
Naiman, R. J., Decamps, H., and McClain, M. E. 2005. Riparia: ecology, conservation, and management of streamside communities. New York Elsevier Academic. 430 p.Google Scholar
Ortega, Y. K. and Pearson, D. E. 2010. Effects of picloram application on community dominants vary with initial levels of spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) invasion. Invasive Plant Sci. Manage. 3:70–80.Google Scholar
Pearson, D. E. and Ortega, Y. K. 2009. Managing invasive plants in natural areas: moving beyond weed control. Pages 1–21 in Columbus, F., ed. Weeds: Management, Economic Impacts and Biology. New York Nova.Google Scholar
Pearson, D. E. and Ortega, Y. K. 2011. Ecology and management of invasive species: a conceptual framework. Pages 111 in McCloskey, B., ed. Proceedings of the Western Society of Weed Science. Spokane, WA WSWS.Google Scholar
Planty-Tabacchi, A.-M., Tabacchi, E., Naiman, R. J., DeFarrari, C. M., and Decamps, H. 1996. Invasibility of species-rich communities in riparian zones. Conserv. Biol. 10:598–607.Google Scholar
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. 2004. Plants of the Pacific Northwest coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska. Vancouver, BC Lone Pine. 528 p.Google Scholar
Richardson, D. M., Holmes, P. M., Esler, K. J., Galatowitsch, S. M., Stromberg, J. C., Kirkman, S. P., Pysek, P., and Hobbs, R. J. 2007. Riparian vegetation: Degradation, alien plant invasions, and restoration prospects. Divers. Distrib. 13:575–592.Google Scholar
Seabloom, E. W., Borer, E. T., Boucher, V. L., Burton, R. S., Cottingham, K. L., Goldwasser, L., Gram, W. K., Kendall, B. E., and Micheli, F. 2003. Competition, seed limitation, disturbance, and reestablishment, of California native annual forbs. Ecol. Appl. 13:575–592.Google Scholar
Shea, K. and Chesson, P. 2002. Community ecology theory as a framework for biological invasions. Trends Ecol. Evol. 17:170–176.Google Scholar
SSURGO. 2012. Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database for Grays Harbor, Mason, and Thurston Counties of Washington State. Soil Survey Staff, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture. http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov. Accessed June 20, 2012.Google Scholar
Stevens, J. M. and Fehmi, J. S. 2011. Early establishment of a native grass reduces the competitive effect of a non-native grass. Restor. Ecol. 19:399–406.Google Scholar
Swanson, F. J., Benda, L. E., Duncan, S. H., Grant, G. E., Megahan, W. F., Reid, L. M., and Ziemer, R. R. 1987. Mass failures and other processes of sediment production in Pacific Northwest forest landscapes. Pages 9–38 in Salo, E. O. and Cundy, T. W., eds. Streamside management: forestry and fishery interactions. Seattle, WA University of Washington Press.Google Scholar
Sweeney, B. W., Czapka, S. J., and Yerkes, T. 2002. Riparian forest restoration: Increasing success by reducing plant competition and herbivory. Restor. Ecol. 10:392–400.Google Scholar
Urgenson, L. S. 2011. Ecological and social aspects of riparian restoration and non-native plant invasions: studies from the Pacific Northwest, U.S. and the Western Cape, South Africa. Ph.D dissertation. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 122 p.Google Scholar
Urgenson, L. S., Reichard, S. H., and Halpern, C. B. 2009. Community and ecosystem consequences of giant knotweed (Polygonum sachalinense) invasion into riparian forests of western Washington, USA. Biol. Conserv. 142:1536–1541.Google Scholar
Urgenson, L. S., Reichard, S. H., and Halpern, C. B. 2012. Multiple competitive mechanisms underlie the effects of a strong invader on early- to late-seral tree seedlings. J. Ecol. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2012.01995.x.Google Scholar
USDA. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, National Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Greensboro, NC, USA. http://plants.usda.gov. Accessed September 1, 2011.Google Scholar
Vanderhoeven, S., Dassonville, N., and Meerts, P. 2005. Increased topsoil mineral nutrient concentrations under exotic invasive plants in Belgium. Plant Soil 275:169–179.Google Scholar
Vrchotová, N. and Šerá, B. 2008. Allelopathic properties of knotweed rhizome extracts. Plant Soil Environ. 54:301–303.Google Scholar
Warton, D. I. and Hui, F. K. C. 2011. The arcsine is asinine: the analysis of proportions in ecology. Ecology 92:3–10.Google Scholar
WNPS. 2011. Native plants lists by county. Washington Native Plants Society, Seattle, WA, USA. http://www.wnps.org/plant_lists/exploring_native_plants.html. Accessed September 1, 2011.Google Scholar