Rangeland Ecology & Management

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The Soil Seedbank of Pasture Communities in Central Queensland Invaded by Parthenium hysterophorus L.
Author
Nguyen, T.L.T.
Bajwa, A.A.
Navie, S.C.
O'Donnell, C.
Adkins, S.W.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2017
Body

A study examining the composition and dynamics of the soil seedbank was conducted at two locations in central Queensland between December 2007 and May 2009. These two grassland communities were infested with parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.), which had been present at both sites for at least 25 years. During the period of study, the seedbank varied between 5 962 and 16 206 seeds/m2 at the Clermont site and between 6 795 and 24 862 seeds/m2 at the Moolayember Creek site. Parthenium weed exhibited a very abundant and persistent seedbank, accounting for 80-87% of the seedbank at the Clermont site and 3-26% of the seedbank at the Moolayember Creek site. The species richness and species diversity of the seedbank, as well as the seed abundance of several native and introduced species, were higher at the Moolayember Creek site than at the Clermont site. The domination of the seedbanks by parthenium weed, especially at Clermont, suggests that the weed is having a substantial negative impact on seedbanks of native plant communities. The diversity of the seedbank at the Clermont site was found to be lower in comparison with that observed during an earlier study in 1995-1996, while the diversity at Moolayember Creek was found to have increased. Hence, the prolonged presence of parthenium weed may have substantially reduced the diversity of the seedbank at the Clermont site, while improved management practices may have increased diversity at the Moolayember Creek site. © 2016 The Society for Range Management. The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information.

Language
en
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1016/j.rama.2016.07.010
Additional Information
Nguyen, T. L. T., Bajwa, A. A., Navie, S. C., O’Donnell, C., & Adkins, S. W. (2017). The Soil Seedbank of Pasture Communities in Central Queensland Invaded by Parthenium hysterophorus L. Rangeland Ecology & Management, 70(2), 244–254.
IISN
1550-7424
OAI Identifier
oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/667412
Journal Volume
70
Journal Number
2
Journal Pages
244-254
Journal Name
Rangeland Ecology & Management
Keywords
Biological invasion
grasslands
parthenium weed
plant diversity