The Impact of Non-Native Plants on Urban Forest Plant Communities
Session Title
Other Abstracts
Faculty Mentor
Kiyoshi Sasaki, Ph.D.
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Biology
Abstract
Forests in urban areas are especially prone to invasion because of many human activities that modulate the introduction and spread of non-native species. These non-native plants may be detrimental to urban forest plant communities. However, few studies have assessed the effects of non-native plants on urban forests. Our goal for this study was to determine how non-native plant species impact plant communities. We established 733, 5-m radius plots throughout a 28.3 ha Winthrop Woods located in the city of Rock Hill, SC. In each plot, we identified and quantified the abundance of herbs, lianas, shrubs, and tree species. Non-native species were more abundant than native species in the understory, while non-native species were absent in the overstory. The overall abundance of native species decreased as the abundance of non-native species increased. Also, the abundance of native tree seedlings declined with the increasing abundance of non-native species. Although native trees dominate the current overstory, the reduction of native tree seedlings suggests a potential failure in the regeneration of native canopy trees.
Grant Support?
Supported by an SC-INBRE grant from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences (P20GM103499).
Start Date
15-4-2023 12:00 PM
The Impact of Non-Native Plants on Urban Forest Plant Communities
Forests in urban areas are especially prone to invasion because of many human activities that modulate the introduction and spread of non-native species. These non-native plants may be detrimental to urban forest plant communities. However, few studies have assessed the effects of non-native plants on urban forests. Our goal for this study was to determine how non-native plant species impact plant communities. We established 733, 5-m radius plots throughout a 28.3 ha Winthrop Woods located in the city of Rock Hill, SC. In each plot, we identified and quantified the abundance of herbs, lianas, shrubs, and tree species. Non-native species were more abundant than native species in the understory, while non-native species were absent in the overstory. The overall abundance of native species decreased as the abundance of non-native species increased. Also, the abundance of native tree seedlings declined with the increasing abundance of non-native species. Although native trees dominate the current overstory, the reduction of native tree seedlings suggests a potential failure in the regeneration of native canopy trees.
