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Temporal dynamics of the superdominant bracken fern Pteridium arachnoideum in Neotropical savanna-riparian forest transitions

Authors :
Pavel Dodonov
Rafael de Oliveira Xavier
Dalva Maria da Silva Matos
Source :
Rodriguésia, Vol 74 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, 2023.

Abstract

Abstract Clonal growth can be especially advantageous in spatially heterogeneous environments and some clonal plants are highly invasive or superdominant, especially in disturbed environments. However, their temporal dynamics in the absence of large disturbances are not well known. We assessed whether patches dominated by the native bracken fern Pteridium arachnoideum expanded or retracted in area over six years. We mapped the contour of eight patches occupied by P. arachnoideum in a savanna-forest transition every two years from 2009 to 2015. The area occupied by most patches was overall stable, indicating that forested patch boundaries may be unsuitable for an effective vegetative spread of P. arachnoideum. One patch fully retracted during the study period, possibly due to extensive herbivory by leafcutter ants. Thus, although clonal foraging may enable the spread of the species to more suitable sites from these patches, these results indicate that P. arachnoideum does not represent a threat to the biodiversity of savanna-riparian forest transitions in the absence of extensive disturbances, as the area of the largest patches remained stable or decreased during our study. These findings highlight that specific characteristics of the local disturbance regime may be key to the cost-effective management of some superdominant native species.

Details

Language :
English, Portuguese
ISSN :
21757860
Volume :
74
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Rodriguésia
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.63237383368f47a88de24d22e60b7fd8
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860202374078