Abstract
Managing intentional species introductions requires evaluating potential ecological risks. However, it is difficult to weigh costs and benefits when data about interactions between novel species and the communities they are introduced to are scarce. In anticipation of expanded cultivation of perennial biomass crops, we experimentally introduced Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus × giganteus (two non-native candidate biomass crops) into two different non-crop habitats (old field and flood-plain forest) to evaluate their establishment success and impact on ambient local communities. We followed these controlled introductions and the composition dynamics of the receiving communities over a 5-year period. Habitats differed widely in adult Miscanthus survival and reproduction potential between species, although seed persistence and seedling emergence were similar in the two biomass crops in both habitats. Few introductions survived in the floodplain forest habitat, and this mortality precluded analyses of their potential impacts there. In old field habitats, proportional survival ranged from 0.3 to 0.4, and plant survival and growth increased with age. However, there was no evidence of biomass crop species effects on community richness or evenness or strong impacts on the resident old field constituents across 5 years. These results suggest that Miscanthus species could establish outside of cultivated fields, but there will likely be a lag in any impacts on the receiving communities. Local North American invasions by M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus display the potential for Miscanthus species to develop aggressively expanding populations. However, the weak short-term community-level impacts demonstrated in the current study indicate a clear management window in which eradicating species footholds is easily achieved, if they can be detected early enough. Diligent long-term monitoring, detection, and eradication plans are needed to successfully minimize harmful invasions from these biomass crops.
Highlights
Evaluating ecological risks associated with intentional plant introductions requires understanding species colonization and establishment success as well as potentially negative impacts on the recipient community (Theoharides and Dukes, 2007; Barney et al, 2013)
To better predict potential costs associated with the cultivation and introduction of novel species, we need in situ empirical information on the establishment likelihood and community impacts associated with introductions (Flory et al, 2012; Scasta et al, 2015)
Miscanthus will likely escape and establish in habitats surrounding biomass production fields, but whether these introductions lead to negative community impacts remains uncertain given the limited short term empirical data available
Summary
Evaluating ecological risks associated with intentional plant introductions requires understanding species colonization and establishment success as well as potentially negative impacts on the recipient community (Theoharides and Dukes, 2007; Barney et al, 2013). The disadvantages of a high escape probability may be mitigated by low potential impacts of that species on surrounding communities (Yokomizo et al, 2012; Grechi et al, 2014). Stochasticity, agricultural breeding, and novel selection pressures in response to new interactions and environments can complicate predictions about the relative benefits versus threat potential of novel introductions (Mack, 2000; Moles et al, 2012; Richardson, 2013; Driscoll et al, 2014). To better predict potential costs associated with the cultivation and introduction of novel species, we need in situ empirical information on the establishment likelihood and community impacts associated with introductions (Flory et al, 2012; Scasta et al, 2015)
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