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The Anthropocene witnessed the landscape spread of several invasive alien plants which can remarkably influence the ecosystem services and environmental sustainability. To this end, Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae) is widely identified among top hundred pervasive invaders in view of its adverse influence on environment, agriculture, and wildlife. The adverse effects of C. odorata can further be exacerbated under the event of invasion interaction with other anthropogenic stressors such as climate change. Nevertheless, there exists dearth of pragmatic studies on invasion ecology, socio‐economic impacts, ecological economics, and sustainable management prospects of C. odorata. The present review discusses the invasion ecology, distribution, mechanisms, impacts, and management strategies of C. odorata invasion. The side‐effects and unsustainable use of traditional control measures (e.g., controlled fire and chemical herbicides) of C. odorata paves the way to biological control methods (e.g., gall fly). However, the control measures of C. odorata need to be assessed for their long‐term ecosystem level effects to mitigate the possible adverse environmental responses. The wise application of C. odorata biomass in marginal lands for soil fertility restoration, biosorption, biorefinery, bio‐medicine, and bioenergy in conjunction with ecological control measures can cover economic incentive to facilitate sustainable management of C. odorata in forestry/agroforestry systems. Nevertheless, the use of weed biomass as feedstock in biorefinery and ethno‐medicine may be inadequate in reducing its invasion. Future studies should explicitly elucidate the ecological mechanisms of C. odorata in concert with the quest for its field‐scale application in biorefinery to augment sustainable management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although gymnosperms were nearly swept away by the rise of the angiosperms in the Late Cretaceous, conifers, and pines (Pinus species) in particular, survived and regained their dominance in some habitats. Diversification of pines into fire‐avoiding (subgenus Haploxylon) and fire‐adapted (subgenus Diploxylon) species occurred in response to abiotic and biotic factors in the Late Cretaceous such as competition with emerging angiosperms and changing fire regimes. Adaptations/traits that evolved in response to angiosperm‐fuelled fire regimes and stressful environments in the Late Cretaceous were key to pine success and are also contributing to a new "pine rise" in some areas in the Anthropocene. Human‐mediated activities exert both positive and negative impacts of range size and expansion and invasions of pines. Large‐scale afforestation with pines, human‐mediated changes to fire regimes, and other ecosystem processes are other contributing factors. We discuss traits that evolved in response to angiosperm‐mediated fires and stressful environments in the Cretaceous and that continue to contribute to pine persistence and dominance and the numerous ways in which human activities favor pines. Here we discuss traits that evolved in response to angiosperm‐mediated fires and stressful environments in the Cretaceous and that continue to contribute to pine persistence and dominance, and the numerous ways in which human activities favour pines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has experienced significant Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LULCC) over the past few decades. In this context, careful observation and mapping of LULCC using satellite data of high to medium spatial resolution is crucial for understanding the long-term usage patterns of natural resources and facilitating sustainable management to plan, monitor and evaluate development. The present study utilizes the satellite images to generate national level LULC maps at decadal intervals for 1985, 1995 and 2005 using onscreen visual interpretation techniques with minimum mapping unit of 2.5 hectares. These maps follow the classification scheme of the International Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP) to ensure compatibility with other global/regional LULC datasets for comparison and integration. Our LULC maps with more than 90% overall accuracy highlight the changes prominent at regional level, i.e., loss of forest cover in central and northeast India, increase of cropland area in Western India, growth of peri-urban area, and relative increase in plantations. We also found spatial correlation between the cropping area and precipitation, which in turn confirms the monsoon dependent agriculture system in the country. On comparison with the existing global LULC products (GlobCover and MODIS), it can be concluded that our dataset has captured the maximum cumulative patch diversity frequency indicating the detailed representation that can be attributed to the on-screen visual interpretation technique. Comparisons with global LULC products (GlobCover and MODIS) show that our dataset captures maximum landscape diversity, which is partly attributable to the on-screen visual interpretation techniques. We advocate the utility of this database for national and regional studies on land dynamics and climate change research. The database would be updated to 2015 as a continuing effort of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review the key features of Lantana ( Lantana camara L.), an invasive plant species considered to be among the world's 10 worst weeds. Lantana occurs in diverse habitats and on a variety of soil types, and its spread is encouraged by animal activities and by human disturbances, such as cultivation, road construction, and changes in fire regimes. Lantana is morphologically distinct in the different regions of its invasive range compared to those regions in its native range. The biological attributes contributing to the success of Lantana as an invader species include: fitness homeostasis, phenotypic plasticity, dispersal benefits from destructive foraging activities, widespread geographic range, vegetative reproduction, fire tolerance, better competitive ability compared to native flora, and allelopathy. Mechanical, chemical and biological options for the eradication and control of Lantana are available. It is emphasized that ecosystem-level consequences of Lantana invasion, particularly on the biodiversity of native flora, are little understood and studies are needed to fulfill this knowledge gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]