Ecology of Invasive Melilotus albus on Alaskan Glacial River Floodplains
| Autor: | Katherine L. Beattie, Jeffery S. Conn, Roseann V. Densmore, Nancy R. Werdin-Pfisterer |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: |
010506 paleontology
Global and Planetary Change geography geography.geographical_feature_category Pioneer species 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences biology Floodplain Ecology Elaeagnus Crepis tectorum Introduced species biology.organism_classification 01 natural sciences Invasive species Botany Melilotus albus Lathyrus Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Earth-Surface Processes |
| Zdroj: | Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research. 43:343-354 |
| ISSN: | 1938-4246 1523-0430 |
| DOI: | 10.1657/1938-4246-43.3.343 |
| Popis: | Melilotus albus (white sweetclover) has invaded Alaskan glacial river floodplains. We measured cover and density of plant species and environmental variables along transects perpendicular to the Nenana, Matanuska, and Stikine Rivers to study interactions between M. albus and other plant species and to characterize the environment where it establishes. Melilotus albus was a pioneer species on recently disturbed sites and did not persist into closed canopy forests. The relationships between M. albus cover and density and other species were site-specific. Melilotus albus was negatively correlated with native species Elaeagnus commutata at the Nenana River, but not at the Matanuska River. Melilotus albus was positively correlated with the exotic species Crepis tectorum and Taraxacum officinale at the Matanuska River and T. officinale on the upper Stikine River. However, the high density of M. albus at a lower Stikine River site was negatively correlated with T. officinale and several native species including Lathyrus japonicus var. maritimus and Salix alaxensis. Glacial river floodplains in Alaska are highly disturbed and are corridors for exotic plant species movement. Melilotus albus at moderate to low densities may facilitate establishment of exotic species, but at high densities can reduce the cover and density of both exotic and native species. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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