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An Investigation of the Factors Influencing the Abundance and Species Richness of Introduced Species on Roadsides in the Illawarra

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An Investigation of the Factors Influencing the Abundance and Species Richness of Introduced Species on Roadsides in the Illawarra University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health - Honours Theses University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2011 An Investigation of the Factors Influencing the Abundance and Species Richness of Introduced Species on Roadsides in the Illawarra Melissa J. Huntsman University of Wollongong Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/thsci University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong. Recommended Citation Huntsman, Melissa J., An Investigation of the Factors Influencing the Abundance and Species Richness of Introduced Species on Roadsides in the Illawarra, Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours), School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, 2011. https://ro.uow.edu.au/thsci/19 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] An Investigation of the Factors Influencing the Abundance and Species Richness of Introduced Species on Roadsides in the Illawarra Abstract Negative impacts associated with the invasion of introduced species necessitates that their establishment and spread into new areas is minimised. Road verges facilitate the spread of introduced species along this disturbed corridor and into adjacent habitats. Revegetation of road verges by the Roads and Trafficuthority A (RTA) aims to inhibit the germination of introduced species by the planting and/or seeding of native species and use of herbicide. The presence and spread of introduced species on verges has been widely studied; however there are still gaps in our knowledge of the success of particular treatments (i.e. seeding and planting) in their ability to withstand invasion. This study aimed to: i) determine if, and to what extent, the planting protocols of the RTA influence the abundance and cover of introduced species along road verges; and ii) identify if additional site specific factors and management practices impact the abundance and cover of introduced road verges. Flora surveys, site condition analysis and soil investigations were conducted on 40 road verge sites in the Illawarra region. Road verges had twice the percentage cover and three times more introduced than native species, with the most abundant natives being those that were planted by the RTA. The percentage cover and species richness of native plants did not vary with the use of either revegetation treatment, whilst the use of seeding decreased introduced species abundance. The age of the road verge revegetation was the strongest indicator of native species richness, with species richness decreasing with increasing age. Introduced and native species composition was significantly elatedr to the age of revegetation. Modification of TR A species selection and revegetation techniques is believed to be responsible for the shift in native species composition, as minimal natural dispersal was observed. Introduced species composition was greatly influenced yb the dominance of noxious Lantana camara on older road verges. The use of imported topsoil increased native species richness and decreased introduced species richness, highlighting the importance of proper management of in ‐ situ topsoil. The dispersal limitations of native plants necessitates that initial revegetation of road verges must include high diversity and richness of native species to increase road verge ecosystems resistance to invasion. To increase ability of current road verge ecosystems to resist invasion it is recommended that weed infestations within the road network are actively managed and species richness of road verges be manually increased. Degree Type Thesis Degree Name Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) Department School of Earth & Environmental Sciences Keywords Revegetation of road, native species, Lantana camara This thesis is available at Research Online: https://ro.uow.edu.au/thsci/19 AN INVESTIGATION OF THE FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ABUNDANCE AND SPECIES RICHNESS OF INTRODUCED SPECIES ON ROADSIDES IN THE ILLAWARRA By MELISSA J. HUNTSMAN A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of HONOURS BACHELOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE PROGRAM FACULTY OF SCIENCE THE UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG November 2011 Acknowledgements A huge thank you to my supervisors Kris and Sharon, your guidance and feedback throughout the year is greatly appreciated. Thank you to the RTA employees who assisted in my data collection, particularly to the project managers and maintenance personnel who answered my many questions. Special thanks to Julian for assisting in the development of this project, also to Graham and Sarah who were great sources of information and always found time to help. To Belinda and Ben thank you for helping me to identify the 580 or so plant specimens I collected. If it wasn’t for your assistance I would still be hunched over the microscope. An extra thanks to Ben for his enthusiasm in my project, also his help with my results and discussion is greatly appreciated. Special thanks to Kris for her encouragement, statistical expertise, thorough feedback and her ability to always have time to answer my numerous questions. Thank you to everyone in Kris’s lab for your support, I will miss coming in every day. To my adorable friend’s thank you for keeping me sane this past year, the chats and many coffee breaks were a welcome distraction. Thank you to Glenn and Lewis for keeping me safe by watching traffic while I carried out my sampling. A big thank you to Glenn Lee for proof reading my thesis, providing gems of wisdom about how to keep on top of my work and putting up with me when I was stressed. To my family thank you for all your love, encouragement and support, I wouldn’t have been able to complete this year without you. i Abstract Negative impacts associated with the invasion of introduced species necessitates that their establishment and spread into new areas is minimised. Road verges facilitate the spread of introduced species along this disturbed corridor and into adjacent habitats. Revegetation of road verges by the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) aims to inhibit the germination of introduced species by the planting and/or seeding of native species and use of herbicide. The presence and spread of introduced species on verges has been widely studied; however there are still gaps in our knowledge of the success of particular treatments (i.e. seeding and planting) in their ability to withstand invasion. This study aimed to: i) determine if, and to what extent, the planting protocols of the RTA influence the abundance and cover of introduced species along road verges; and ii) identify if additional site specific factors and management practices impact the abundance and cover of introduced road verges. Flora surveys, site condition analysis and soil investigations were conducted on 40 road verge sites in the Illawarra region. Road verges had twice the percentage cover and three times more introduced than native species, with the most abundant natives being those that were planted by the RTA. The percentage cover and species richness of native plants did not vary with the use of either revegetation treatment, whilst the use of seeding decreased introduced species abundance. The age of the road verge revegetation was the strongest indicator of native species richness, with species richness decreasing with increasing age. Introduced and native species composition was significantly related to the age of revegetation. Modification of RTA species selection and revegetation techniques is believed to be responsible for the shift in native species composition, as minimal natural dispersal was observed. Introduced species composition was greatly influenced by the dominance of noxious Lantana camara on older road verges. The use of imported topsoil increased native species richness and decreased introduced species richness, highlighting the importance of proper management of in‐situ topsoil. The dispersal limitations of native plants necessitates that initial revegetation of road verges must include high diversity and richness of native species to increase road verge ecosystems resistance to invasion. To increase ability of current road verge ecosystems to resist invasion it is recommended that weed infestations within the road network
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