The distribution of an invasive plant in a fragile ecosystem: the rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) in oases of the Baja California peninsula

Abstract

The rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) is an aggressive, invasive weed species with a high spreading potential that has caused great ecological impacts and economic costs to the areas in which it has been introduced. In Mexico, there is little information on the invasion of this species. In Baja California Sur (BCS), the first record of the species is documented from 1935 in one oasis. Despite the ecological problems that this invasive species may cause in the oases of BCS, little was known about its distribution and status. The aim of this work was to document the presence of the rubber vine in 57 oases in Baja California Sur during 2006–2008. The rubber vine was present in 22 (39%) of the sampled oases. The distribution pattern strongly suggests that the rubber vine had been introduced by the local population and then spread in the oasis and into the vicinity of streams and canyons. Vertebrate and invertebrate endemic oasis-dependent species may be at risk because the rubber vine can become a dominant species in oases and because reptiles and birds may not use the plant and instead avoid the areas where it grows. This is risky in fragile ecosystems immersed in a desert. Education and eradication of rubber vines from oases should be urgently done.