Assessing Alien Plant Invasions in Urban Environments: A Case Study of Tshwane University of Technology and Implications for Biodiversity Conservation
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Results
2.1. Identification of Alien Plant Species and Families
2.2. Comparing Invasion Status, Life Forms, Continent of Origin, and NEM:BA A&IS Regulations Category
2.3. Species Distribution between Sampling Sites
3. Discussion
3.1. Species Composition
3.2. Invasion Status
3.3. Life Forms
3.4. Continent of Origin
3.5. National Listing (NEM:BA A&IS Category)
3.6. Species Shared between Sampling Sites
3.7. Reason of Introduction
3.8. Recommendations
3.9. Management Implications
4. Materials and Methods
4.1. Geographical Study Site
4.2. Data Collection and Species Selection
4.3. Species Verification and Identification
4.4. NEM:BA A&IS Category, Invasion Status, and Pathway Classification
4.5. Statistical Analyses
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Species Name | Abundance | Family | Life Form | NEM:BA A&IS Categories | Invasion Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albuca abyssinica Jacq. | 2 | Hyacinthaceae | Succulent | Native-alien | Naturalised |
Abutilon grandifolium (Willd.) Sweet * | 7 | Malvaceae | Shrub | NL | Naturalised |
Abutilon theophrasti Medik. | 3 | Malvaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Agave americana L. | 1 | Asparagaceae | Shrub | Category 3 | Naturalised |
Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.) R.M.King & H.Rob. | 1 | Asteraceae | Shrub | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Amaranthus sp. | 1 | Amaranthaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Amaranthus spinosus L. | 2 | Amaranthaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis * | 6 | Basellaceae | Climber | Category 1b | Invasive |
Araujia sericifera Brot * | 26 | Apocynaceae | Climber | Category 1b | Invasive |
Argemone mexicana L. * | 9 | Papaveraceae | Herb | Category 1b | Invasive |
Arundo donax L. * | 55 | Poaceae | Grass | Category 1b | Transformer |
Bidens bipinnata L. | 1 | Asteraceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Bidens pilosa L. * | 9 | Asteraceae | Herb | NL | Invasive |
Callistemon viminalis (Sol. ex Gaertn.) G.Don * | 3 | Myrtaceae | Woody | Category 3 | Invasive |
Campuloclinium macrocephalum (Less.) DC. * | 6 | Asteraceae | Herb | Category 1b | Invasive |
Canna indica L. * | 2 | Cannaceae | Herb | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Celtis sinensis Pers. * | 4 | Cannabaceae | Woody | NL | Naturalised |
Cenchrus setaceus (Forssk.) Morrone * | 4 | Poaceae | Grass | NL | Naturalised |
Cestrum parqui (Lam.) L’Hér. | 13 | Solanaceae | Shrub | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Chenopodium album L. | 1 | Amaranthaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Datura stramonium L. * | 5 | Solanaceae | Herb | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. | 5 | Myrtaceae | Woody | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Euphorbia heterophylla L. * | 4 | Euphorbiaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Euphorbia sp. | 1 | Euphorbiaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Ficus carica L. | 3 | Moraceae | Woody | NL | Naturalised |
Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze | 1 | Asteraceae | Herb | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Galinsoga parviflora Cav. | 1 | Asteraceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Grevillea robusta A.Cunn. ex R.Br. | 1 | Proteaceae | Woody | Category 3 | Casual |
Hedera helix L. | 1 | Araliaceae | Climber | Category 3 | Naturalised |
Heliotropium amplexicaule Vahl * | 16 | Boraginaceae | Herb | NL | Invasive |
Hirschfeldia incana (L.) Lagr.-Foss. | 1 | Brassicaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Indigofera tinctoria L. | 1 | Fabaceae | Shrub | NL | Casual |
Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth | 4 | Convolvulaceae | Climber | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Iris ensata Thunb * | 1 | Iridaceae | Herb | NL | Casual |
Iris sp. | 1 | Iridaceae | Herb | NL | Casual |
Jacaranda mimosifolia D.Don * | 20 | Bignoniaceae | Woody | NL | Naturalised |
Kraussia floribunda Harv. | 1 | Rubiaceae | Shrub | Native-alien | Casual |
Lactuca serriola L. * | 13 | Asteraceae | Herb | NL | Invasive |
Lantana camara L. * | 96 | Verbenaceae | Shrub | Category 1b | Transformer |
Lantana trifolia L. | 4 | Verbenaceae | Shrub | NL | Naturalised |
Ligustrum japonicum Thunb * | 7 | Oleaceae | Shrub | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Ligustrum ovalifolium Hassk. | 2 | Oleaceae | Shrub | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Malva parviflora L. | 1 | Malvaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Malvastrum coromandelianum (L.) Garcke | 7 | Malvaceae | Herb | Category 1b | Invasive |
Medicago lupulina L. | 1 | Fabaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Melia azedarach L. * | 55 | Meliaceae | Woody | Category 3 | Invasive |
Melilotus albus Medik * | 8 | Fabaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Aptenia cordifolia (L.f.) Schwantes | 2 | Aizoaceae | Succulent | Native-alien | Naturalised |
Mirabilis jalapa L. * | 14 | Nyctaginaceae | Herb | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Morus alba L. * | 20 | Moraceae | Woody | Category 3 | Invasive |
Morus rubra L. * | 16 | Moraceae | Woody | NL | Naturalised |
Nandina domestica Thunb. | 1 | Berberidaceae | Shrub | NL | Casual |
Oenothera rosea L’Hér. ex Aiton * | 20 | Onagraceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Oenothera tetraptera Cav. | 4 | Onagraceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. * | 4 | Cactaceae | Shrub | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Opuntia sp. | 1 | Cactaceae | Shrub | NL | Naturalised |
Oxalis stricta L. | 1 | Oxalidaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Phoenix reclinata Jacq. | 2 | Arecaceae | Shrub | Native-alien | Casual |
Phyllostachys aurea (André) Rivière & C.Rivière * | 2 | Poaceae | Grass | NL | Naturalised |
Physalis peruviana L.* | 9 | Solanaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Physalis viscosa L. * | 29 | Solanaceae | Herb | NL | Transformer |
Phytolacca dioica L. | 2 | Phytolaccaceae | Woody | Category 3 | Casual |
Pinus sp. | 1 | Pinaceae | Woody | Category 2 | Casual |
Plantago lanceolata L. * | 16 | Plantaginaceae | Herb | NL | Invasive |
Populus alba L. | 1 | Salicaceae | Woody | Category 2 | Invasive |
Portulacaria afra Jacq. | 1 | Portulacaceae | Succulent | Native-alien | Naturalised |
Prunus persica (L.) Batsch | 1 | Rosaceae | Woody | NL | Casual |
Prunus sp. | 1 | Salicaceae | Woody | NL | Casual |
Pteris vittata L. * | 3 | Pteridaceae | Herb | NL | Casual |
Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr * | 2 | Fabaceae | Climber | Category 1a | Invasive |
Punica granatum L. | 3 | Lythraceae | Shrub | NL | Naturalised |
Rapistrum rugosum (L.) All. | 2 | Brassicaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Ricinus communis L.* | 3 | Euphorbiaceae | Herb | Category 2 | Naturalised |
Rivina humilis L.* | 24 | Petiveriaceae | Herb | Category 1b | Transformer |
Robinia pseudoacacia L. | 4 | Fabaceae | Woody | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Rumex sp. | 1 | rumex sp | Shrub | NL | Naturalised |
Rumex usambarensis (Dammer) Dammer * | 9 | Polygonaceae | Shrub | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Salix babylonica L. | 2 | Polygonaceae | Woody | Category 2 | Casual |
Senecio angulatus L.f. | 2 | Asteraceae | Climber | Native-alien | Naturalised |
Schefflera arboricola (Hayata) Merr. | 1 | Araliaceae | Shrub | Category 3 | Naturalised |
Schefflera arboricola (Hayata) Merr. | 1 | Araliaceae | Shrub | Category 3 | Naturalised |
Schinus molle L. | 5 | Anacardiaceae | Woody | NL | Naturalised |
Solanum chenopodioides Lam. | 3 | Solanaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.* | 24 | Solanaceae | Shrub | Category 1b | Transformer |
Solanum mauritianum Scop * | 46 | Solanaceae | Woody | Category 1b | Invasive |
Solanum nigrum L. | 4 | Solanaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott | 3 | Fabaceae | Woody | NL | Casual |
Tagetes minuta L.* | 13 | Asteraceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Talinum paniculatum (Jacq.) Gaertn. | 1 | Talinaceae | Herb | NL | Naturalised |
Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth * | 48 | Bignoniaceae | Woody | Category 1b | Transformer |
Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum (Schott ex Endl.) Sakur., Calazans & Mayo | 1 | Araceae | Shrub | NL | Casual |
Tephrosia grandiflora (L’Her.) Pers | 2 | Fabaceae | Shrub | Native-alien | Casual |
Tipuana tipu (Benth.) Kuntze * | 17 | Fabaceae | Woody | Category 3 | Naturalised |
Tithonia rotundifolia (Mill.) S.F.Blake * | 3 | Asteraceae | Herb | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Tithonia tubaeformis (Jacq.) Cass * | 9 | Asteraceae | Herb | Category 1b | Invasive |
Ulmus parvifolia Jacq. | 1 | Ulmaceae | Woody | NL | Naturalised |
Ulmus pumila L.* | 2 | Ulmaceae | Woody | NL | Invasive |
Verbena bipinnatifida Schauer * | 34 | Verbenaceae | Herb | NL | Invasive |
Verbena bonariensis L.* | 30 | Verbenaceae | Herb | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Verbena brasiliensis Vell. | 8 | Verbenaceae | Herb | Category 1b | Invasive |
Verbena rigida Spreng * | 10 | Verbenaceae | Herb | Category 1b | Naturalised |
Yucca gloriosa L. | 1 | Asparagaceae | Shrub | NL | Naturalised |
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Casual | Alien plants that may flourish and even reproduce occasionally outside cultivation in an area, but eventually die out because they do not form self-replacing populations and rely on repeated introductions for their persistence [40]. |
Category 1a | Species that must be combatted or eradicated [33]. |
Category 1b | Species that must be controlled [33]. |
Category 2 | Any species listed under Category 2 requires a permit issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) to carry out a restricted activity [41]. |
Category 3 | Category 3 listed invasive species are subject to certain exemptions in the NEM:BA Act, which applies to the listing of alien invasive species [33]. |
Established | Alien plants that sustain self-replacing populations for at least 10 years without direct intervention by people (or in spite of human intervention) by recruitment from seed or ramets (tillers, tubers, bulbs, fragments, etc.) capable of independent growth [40]. |
Introduced range | Area outside the species’ historic native range where a species is introduced by human agency [40] |
Invasion debt | “Invasion debt represents the additional number of future invasive species originating from the introduced species pool” [15]. |
Invasive | “Invasive plants are a subset of naturalised plants that produce reproductive offspring, often in very large numbers, at considerable distances from the parent plants, and thus have the potential to spread over a large area” [40]. |
Native-alien population | “A population that results from human-mediated dispersal of individuals of a taxon over a biogeographical boundary to a point beyond the taxon’s native range that is still within the same political entity as some parts of the taxon’s native range” [41]. |
Transformer | “A subset of invasive plants (not necessarily alien) that change the character, condition, form or nature of ecosystems over a substantial area (substantial means relative to the extent of that ecosystem)” [40]. |
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Nelufule, T.; Shivambu, T.C.; Shivambu, N.; Moshobane, M.C.; Seoraj-Pillai, N.; Nangammbi, T. Assessing Alien Plant Invasions in Urban Environments: A Case Study of Tshwane University of Technology and Implications for Biodiversity Conservation. Plants 2024, 13, 872. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13060872
Nelufule T, Shivambu TC, Shivambu N, Moshobane MC, Seoraj-Pillai N, Nangammbi T. Assessing Alien Plant Invasions in Urban Environments: A Case Study of Tshwane University of Technology and Implications for Biodiversity Conservation. Plants. 2024; 13(6):872. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13060872
Chicago/Turabian StyleNelufule, Takalani, Tinyiko C. Shivambu, Ndivhuwo Shivambu, Moleseng C. Moshobane, Nimmi Seoraj-Pillai, and Tshifhiwa Nangammbi. 2024. "Assessing Alien Plant Invasions in Urban Environments: A Case Study of Tshwane University of Technology and Implications for Biodiversity Conservation" Plants 13, no. 6: 872. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13060872