The effects on terrestrial arthropod communities of invasion of a coastal heath ecosystem by the exotic weed bitou bush (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysanthemoides monilifera</Emphasis> ssp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">rotundata</Emphasis> L.) |
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Authors: | Lance Wilkie Gerasimos Cassis Michael Gray |
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Institution: | (1) Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Research, The Australian Museum, 6 College St., Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia |
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Abstract: | Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata) is a major environmental weed of littoral habitats on the southeastern coast of Australia. This study investigates the impacts
upon selected arthropod assemblages of habitat invasion by this weed. Sixteen sites were placed at four geographic localities
within nature reserves between Forster and Budgewoi on the coast of New South Wales. The sampling design included two spatial
scales (between and within localities) and eight repeat samples (taken at two scales of temporal separation). Arthropods were
collected from both arboreal and epigaeic micro-habitats. Specimens of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), beetles (Coleoptera),
true bugs (Heteroptera) and spiders (Araneae) were identified to species level. Differences in α diversity and species abundance
distributions between the taxonomic assemblages are described, along with comparisons of data contrasts between bitou bush-free
(“control”) and bitou bush-invaded (“impact”) habitats and between geographic localities. A subsidiary impact associated with
herbicide application for control of the weed is also examined. Analysis of environmental differences indicates that bitou
bush acts as a dampening agent, reducing the degree of seasonal fluctuation in factors such as leaf litter cover. Arboreal
Heteroptera were the only group to show consistent evidence of significant differences in taxon richness or abundance between
control and impact treatments within a locality, seen as a disruption of normal seasonal variation in diversity in bitou bush-impacted
sites. Significant differences between geographic localities were more common, suggesting an effect at broader spatial scales.
Evidence for arthropod assemblages characteristic of specific vegetation types was detected for several groups, as were changes
in arthropod assemblage composition following application of herbicide for bitou bush control. |
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Keywords: | α diversity Arthropod biodiversity Bitou bush Chrysanthemoides monilifera Assemblage structure Sand mining Seasonality Species accumulation curves Species composition Weed invasion |
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