Abstract
Precise assessment of the impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) on ecosystem structure and functions is paramount for implementing appropriate management and restoration strategies. Here we investigated the impacts of Leucanthemum vulgare (ox-eye daisy), an aggressive invader in Kashmir Himalaya, on species diversity and primary productivity. We also evaluated bunch of strategies for the ecological restoration of the habitats invaded by this species. We found that uninvaded plots harbored on an average of 6.11 (±2.92) more species per 1m2 of quadrat than invaded plots. At multivariate scale, the ordination (nMDS) and ANOSIM exhibited significant differences between invaded and uninvaded plots with R = 0.7889 and p < 0.001. The decrease in diversity indices in invaded as compared to uninvaded plots was associated with more productive plant communities due to Leucanthemum invasion. Higher altitude Gulmarg site was more affected by Leucanthemum invasion than lower altitude Drung site. We tested different approaches for restoration and management of invaded habitats that include herbicide treatment at seedling stage, herbicide treatment before and after flowering stage, mowing and herbicide treatment together, joint mowing, digging and herbicide treatment and Leucanthemum uprooting. Among these treatments, uprooting and combined digging, mowing and herbicide treatment proved to be most effective in controlling Leucanthemum invasion. The implications of these results for effective management of ecologically sensitive and socio-culturally important landscapes are discussed.
Highlights
The growing anthropogenic pressures on natural ecosystems that drive immense biodiversity loss globally, hamper the functioning of ecosystems and their ability to provide essential services [1, 2] characterize the Anthropocene
Allelopathy can be attributed to the negative impacts of L. vulgare on species diversity as these volatile oil containing compounds with herbicidal properties in the flowering parts of this plant can lead to its successful invasion [47]
Present study revealed that L. vulgare invasion reduces native plant diversity to the point where it appears
Summary
The growing anthropogenic pressures on natural ecosystems that drive immense biodiversity loss globally, hamper the functioning of ecosystems and their ability to provide essential services [1, 2] characterize the Anthropocene. Restoration of ox-eye daisy invaded habitats to biodiversity loss [9,10,11] and to changes in ecosystem functions, including nutrient and carbon regulation [12, 13], primary productivity [14] and soil microbial processes [15]. It is a well-established fact that the plant species richness and functional diversity increases local net primary productivity, principally through more exploitation of resources, or niche complementarity [16]. A meta-analysis of 94 studies revealed that the average increase in annual net primary productivity was over 80% in invaded ecosystems [13]
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