Abstract
Lantana camara L. (sensu lato) has a wide range of impacts throughout its global invasive range. Here we review the mechanisms driving its invasion dynamics in South Africa at national (biome, habitat) and regional (within a protected area) scales. Although only three introduction events into South Africa have been recorded (the earliest in 1858), as of 1998 L. camara was found in over 2millionha (total area), with a condensed area of about 70,000ha. Moreover, L. camara is present in most of the country's major biomes and a diversity of habitats, confirming its broad ecological tolerance. Using correlative bioclimatic models, we show that under future climate conditions, L. camara's range in South Africa could expand considerably over the coming decades. While human-mediated dispersal and climatic suitability have been crucial in shaping L. camara's current broad-scale distribution in South Africa, dispersal by birds and along rivers are important drivers of invasion at landscape scales. For example, current evidence suggests that in the Kruger National Park, L. camara has spread primarily along rivers. We conclude with a discussion on the implications of the different invasion dynamics for biological control and management, and provide recommendations for future research.
Highlights
Plant invasions are mediated by a combination of invasiveness, invasibility, and the history of introduction (Foxcroft et al, 2011; Lockwood et al, 2005; Richardson and Pyšek, 2006; Wilson et al, 2009)
At a more localized scale, we investigate the progression of spread and management of L. camara in South Africa's flagship protected area, the Kruger National Park (KNP), a site where the invasion dynamics of L. camara have been studied in more detail than elsewhere in the country
Anthropogenic processes, and biogeographic characteristics have interacted to shape the successful invasion of L. camara in South Africa
Summary
Plant invasions are mediated by a combination of invasiveness (i.e. species traits), invasibility (i.e. characteristics of receiving habitats), and the history of introduction (e.g. propagule pressure and residence time) (Foxcroft et al, 2011; Lockwood et al, 2005; Richardson and Pyšek, 2006; Wilson et al, 2009). (sensu lato), a notorious global invader, has spread rapidly in many of the 60 regions of the world to which it has been introduced by humans (Day et al, 2003) and is listed among the world's one hundred worst invasive species (Lowe et al, 2000). Much of the available knowledge of the species has accumulated recently, and is predominantly associated with biological control efforts (for a recent South African review see Urban et al, 2011), management (Bhagwat et al, 2012), ethnopharmacology (Ali-Emmanuel et al, 2003; Sathish et al, 2011), and phytochemistry (Kumar et al, 2011; Misra and Laatsch, 2000; Zoubiri and Baaliouamer, in press) Despite this wealth of literature and its relevance to the South African situation, there has been no recent assessment of the invasion dynamics of L. camara in the region. At a more localized scale, we investigate the progression of spread and management of L. camara in South Africa's flagship protected area, the Kruger National Park (KNP), a site where the invasion dynamics of L. camara have been studied in more detail than elsewhere in the country
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