Repeated introductions from both the native and the invaded ranges of a major tree pest, the Asian long-horned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), has enhanced its establishment and spread. These were some of the findings of a paper recently published in the journal Molecular Ecology.
Because resources for addressing environmental problems are limited, it has been suggested that management should focus on those species that have the highest impacts in their new environments. Comparing the ability of alien and native species to utilize resources has been shown to offer a sound approach for identifying alien species with high impacts.
The growth of our native Sugarbush (Protea repens) is not negatively affected by the legacy of altered soil chemistry after the clearing of invasive Port Jackson (Acacia saligna).
The soil legacy effects of invasive nitrogen fixing woody species can present several barriers to the restoration of native plant communities. This was the finding of a recent review paper by C·I·B PhD student, Mlungele Nsikani, and C·I·B Core Team Members, Brian van Wilgen and Mirijam Gaertner, in the journal Restoration Ecology.
A “mycorrhiza” is a relationship between a fungus and the roots of a plant. The fungus lives inside the plant roots, and increases the roots’ efficiency in absorbing nutrients from the soil. In such a relationship, both the plants and the fungi, are said to be mycorrhizal and this relationship between plant roots and its associated fungi (“mycorrhizal fungi”) is, amongst other things, important for plant growth.