1. A global synthesis of the effectiveness and ecological impacts of management interventions for Spartinaspecies
- Author
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Wang, Shengyu, Martin, Philip A., Hao, Yan, Sutherland, William J., Shackelford, Gorm E., Wu, Jihua, Ju, Ruiting, Zhou, Wenneng, and Li, Bo
- Abstract
Invasions by Spartinaspecies pose serious threats to global coastal ecosystems. Although many studies have examined the effectiveness and ecological impacts of invasive Spartinamanagement, no comprehensive global synthesis has been conducted to assess the effects of management on Spartina per seand on wider non-targets. Here, we conducted a global meta-analysis of 3,459 observations from 102 studies to quantify the effects of different management interventions (physical, chemical, biological, and integrated control) on Spartina per seand native biodiversity and environments. We found that physical measures quickly suppressed Spartinabut that their effectiveness declined over time. By contrast, chemical measures decreased the abundance and growth of Spartinato a lesser degree in the early stage, but the effectiveness increased over time. Different management measures did not significantly decrease the diversity of native biota on the whole, but native-plant diversity significantly decreased with time after physical control. Different management measures did not affect abiotic factors differently. These results support the use of chemical measures to control invasive Spartina, although their effectiveness would depend on the time since the management intervention. Addressing the problem of Spartinaregrowth following physical control requires improved techniques. We hold that initial states of invaders and subsequent environmental changes after management interventions should be weighed in evaluating control efficacy.
- Published
- 2023
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