An impact assessment of alien invasive plants in South Africa generally dispersed by native avian species

dc.contributor.authorBitani, Nasiphi
dc.contributor.authorShivambu, T.C. (Tinyiko)
dc.contributor.authorShivambu, Ndivhuwo
dc.contributor.authorDowns, Colleen T.
dc.date.accessioned2022-08-04T09:38:57Z
dc.date.available2022-08-04T09:38:57Z
dc.date.issued2022-07
dc.description.abstractInvasive alien plant species have been identified as a major threat to biodiversity and the relationship with native avian dispersers may increase their invasion potential. The impact of invasive plant species needs to be quantified using comparable assessment tools across different habitats and species to allocate limited resources to high-priority species. Here, we used the Generic Impact Scoring System (GISS) to assess the impacts of 16 fleshy-fruited alien invasive plant species in South Africa generally dispersed by native avian species. The results showed that fleshy-fruited invasive species have both environmental and socio-economic impacts. The cumulated impact scores for lantana (Lantana camara) and the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) were the highest, with scores of 42 and 32, respectively. Some species, such as white mulberry (Morus alba), camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), American bramble (Rubus cuneifolius) and Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), had low overall impact scores of 8, 18, 14 and 16, respectively, but scored the maximum impact of 5 for certain mechanisms. Environmental impacts of fleshy-fruited invasive plant species had a high impact magnitude through effects on the ecosystem and vegetation. Socio-economic impacts were mainly through effects on forest production, agriculture and human health. Species with large crop sizes, small seeds and fruit sizes had higher environmental and socio-economic impact magnitude. The information generated in this study is important for guiding resource allocation and preventing the uncontrolled introduction of invasive species in South Africa. The impact of the fleshy-fruited invasive species transcended sectors and, therefore, effective management of invasive species will require the collaboration of multiple and inter-sectoral stakeholders in South Africa.en_US
dc.description.departmentMammal Research Instituteen_US
dc.description.departmentZoology and Entomologyen_US
dc.description.librarianhj2022en_US
dc.description.urihttps://neobiota.pensoft.neten_US
dc.identifier.citationBitani, N., Shivambu, T.C., Shivambu, N., Downs, C.T. (2022) An impact assessment of alien invasive plants in South Africa generally dispersed by native avian species. NeoBiota 74: 189-207. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.74.83342.en_US
dc.identifier.issn1619-0033 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1314-2488 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.3897/neobiota.74.83342
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/86700
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherPensoft Publishersen_US
dc.rights© 2022 Nasiphi Bitani, Tinyiko C. Shivambu, Ndivhuwo Shivambu, Colleen T. Downs. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0).en_US
dc.subjectEnvironmental impacten_US
dc.subjectGeneric impact scoring system (GISS)en_US
dc.subjectImpact scoreen_US
dc.subjectManagement strategyen_US
dc.subjectNational Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA)en_US
dc.subjectSocio-economic impacten_US
dc.titleAn impact assessment of alien invasive plants in South Africa generally dispersed by native avian speciesen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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