Invasion of exotic species is a significant problem in natural ecosystems, reaching epidemic proportions and resulting in significant economic losses. However, insufficient knowledge of explicit spatial distribution of invasive species hinders our ability to prevent and/or mitigate future invasion. In this study, we demonstrate the use of existing voluntary data to survey invasive plant species in Kentucky. We also reconstructed the historical distribution of 16 exotic invasive plants typical to Kentucky using herbarium records. We found that Kentucky is facing a large threat from exotic invasive plants as they are reported throughout most counties. The distribution maps for four of the top 10 most reported invasive species revealed that Kentucky is presently or was previously a front of invasion. The majority of the 16 targeted invasive species were scattered throughout Kentucky with no concentrations within particular regions. Cumulative curves of occupied counties over time fit a “J” shape expansion curve, which indicates the potential for further future invasion. This study demonstrates the usefulness of voluntary data and herbarium data to reconstruct the historical and current distribution of invasive species. Further studies on other invasive species can take advantage of information associated with herbarium specimens to achieve more fruitful results.

Exotic invasive plants have become a significant issue in the Southeastern United States for private landowners. These plants possess characteristics that allow for rapid growth and easy adaptation to many growing conditions, often outcompeting native vegetation and altering wildlife habitat, especially in disturbed areas. Disturbance, including access roads, trails, harvest sites, powerline corridors, and fence rows, is common on private land. Private landowners are often left to combat these problems without many monetary or expertise resources that are available to federal lands. Three field sites, each in a different physiographic province in Virginia, were surveyed for exotic invasive populations and sampled with nested overstory, understory, and regeneration plots and wildlife point intercept transects using paired plots during the summers of 2006 and 2007. Species richness of the overstory and understory did differ, but native percent understory cover and sapling density remained unchanged. Tree density and forest basal area were reduced with presence of exotic invasive plants. Regeneration diversity and density decreased in areas of exotic plant invasion. Eastern cottontail habitat suitability increased with the presence of exotic invasive plants. Suitability of habitat for the gray squirrel, downy woodpecker food, black-capped chickadee reproduction, and eastern wild turkey cover declined with the occurrence of exotic invasive plants. Twenty three of thirty seven total invasive plots were within twenty feet of a disturbance area. Continual assessment of impacts will help provide a better understanding of the nature of exotic invasive plants to landowners and may help them to manage and prevent plant invasions. / Master of Science

付記する学位プログラム名: 社会を駆動するプラットフォーム学卓越大学院プログラム / 京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第25317号 / 農博第2583号 / 新制||農||1104(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科森林科学専攻 / (主査)教授 北島 薫, 教授 小野田 雄介, 教授 井鷺 裕司 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A chuva de sementes é a dinâmica de dispersão de uma floresta, representando o que chega ao solo por meio dos agentes dispersores. Na comunidade de plantas, as síndromes de dispersão predominantes permitem entender os estádios sucessionais, estrutura e o nível de conservação da vegetação. No Brasil, a jaqueira, Artocarpus heterophyllus, é considerada uma espécie exótica invasora, que foi introduzida no período colonial. Essa invasão biológica pode comprometer a dispersão dos diásporos de espécies nativas pela chuva de sementes, já que a dispersão é influenciada pela distribuição espacial das plantas e pelas barreiras presentes no ambiente. O trabalho teve por objetivo verificar se a jaqueira, por ser uma espécie exótica invasora, influência na composição e abundância da chuva de sementes. O estudo foi realizado em floresta Atlântica, localizada no Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande, RJ. Foram utilizados para a coleta da chuva de semente 16 coletores de 1m de diâmetro, em áreas com (C) e sem (S) jaqueira, totalizando 32 coletores verificados mensalmente durante um ano de coleta. As análises estatísticas realizadas foram ANOVA, Regressão e NMDS, com o objetivo de verificar se a presença da jaqueira estaria influenciando na chuva de sementes quanto a riqueza, composição e abundância. Foram coletadas 320 amostras e contabilizadas 166.376 sementes, sendo encontrados 84 morfoespécies, 29 espécies em 25 famílias e 55 morfoespécies não identificadas. As áreas sem (S) jaqueira apresentaram maior riqueza, menor abundância e maior diversidade. Nas áreas com jaqueira (C) a abundância de sementes nativas apresentou uma relação negativa com a abundância dessa exótica nas parcelas. A composição e a abundância dos diásporos não tiveram uma separação nítida entre as áreas com e sem jaqueiras, como mostrado no NMDS. Porém, quando analisado o primeiro eixo do NMDS com a abundância de jaqueiras, a ordenação das grades mostrou ter uma relação com a abundância de jaqueiras. As principais síndromes de dispersão observadas no trabalho, referente às espécies que foram identificadas, foram à anemocoria e a zoocoria, sendo esta ultima síndrome a mais abundante entre as áreas. Os resultados mostraram que a presença das jaqueiras afeta, negativamente a chuva de sementes no Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande. Uma menor riqueza e abundância de sementes nativas alcançaram o solo nas áreas com jaqueira (C) podendo afetar a sucessão e a dinâmica da floresta. / Seed rain is the dynamic seed dispersion of a forest, representing what reaches the ground by means of dispersal agents. In the community of plants, the predominant dispersal syndromes allow the understanding of the successional stages, structure and level of conservation of vegetation. The jackfruit tree, Artocarpus heterophyllus, was introduced In Brazil during the colonial period. The jackfruit invasion could be impairing the dispersion of native species, since the dispersion of native seeds may be affected by the spatial distribution of plants and by the barriers present in the environment. The study aimed to verify whether the jacket, because it is an exotic invasive species, influences the composition and abundance of seed rain. The study was conducted in the Atlantic forest, located in the State Park of Ilha Grande, RJ. Were used to collect seed rain 16 collectors with 1m of diameter in areas with (C) and without (S) jackfruit, totaling 32 collectors checked monthly during one year of collection. The analyses performed in this work were ANOVA, Regression and NMDS, in order to verify if the presence of jackfruit would be influencing the seed rain as for richness, composition and abundance. In the material from 320 samples, we observed 166.376 seeds, corresponding to 84 morphospecies, 29 species belonging to 25 families and 55 unidentified morphospecies. The areas without (S) jackfruit showed greater richness, low abundance and diversity. In areas with jackfruit (C) the abundance of native seeds showed a negative relationship with the abundance of the exotic in the plots. The composition and abundance of diaspores had no clear separation between areas with and without jackfruit, as showed in the NMDS. However, when analyzing the first axis of NMDS with the abundance of jackfruit trees in the grids, the relationship with the number abundance of jackfruit. The main dispersion syndromes observed in work related species which have been identified, and were anemochory and zoochory, the latter being the most abundant syndrome among areas. The results showed that the presence of jackfruit tree affects the seed rain in Ilha Grande State Park. A lower richness and abundance of native seeds reach the ground in areas with jackfruit (C) affecting the succession and dynamics of the forest.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A chuva de sementes é a dinâmica de dispersão de uma floresta, representando o que chega ao solo por meio dos agentes dispersores. Na comunidade de plantas, as síndromes de dispersão predominantes permitem entender os estádios sucessionais, estrutura e o nível de conservação da vegetação. No Brasil, a jaqueira, Artocarpus heterophyllus, é considerada uma espécie exótica invasora, que foi introduzida no período colonial. Essa invasão biológica pode comprometer a dispersão dos diásporos de espécies nativas pela chuva de sementes, já que a dispersão é influenciada pela distribuição espacial das plantas e pelas barreiras presentes no ambiente. O trabalho teve por objetivo verificar se a jaqueira, por ser uma espécie exótica invasora, influência na composição e abundância da chuva de sementes. O estudo foi realizado em floresta Atlântica, localizada no Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande, RJ. Foram utilizados para a coleta da chuva de semente 16 coletores de 1m de diâmetro, em áreas com (C) e sem (S) jaqueira, totalizando 32 coletores verificados mensalmente durante um ano de coleta. As análises estatísticas realizadas foram ANOVA, Regressão e NMDS, com o objetivo de verificar se a presença da jaqueira estaria influenciando na chuva de sementes quanto a riqueza, composição e abundância. Foram coletadas 320 amostras e contabilizadas 166.376 sementes, sendo encontrados 84 morfoespécies, 29 espécies em 25 famílias e 55 morfoespécies não identificadas. As áreas sem (S) jaqueira apresentaram maior riqueza, menor abundância e maior diversidade. Nas áreas com jaqueira (C) a abundância de sementes nativas apresentou uma relação negativa com a abundância dessa exótica nas parcelas. A composição e a abundância dos diásporos não tiveram uma separação nítida entre as áreas com e sem jaqueiras, como mostrado no NMDS. Porém, quando analisado o primeiro eixo do NMDS com a abundância de jaqueiras, a ordenação das grades mostrou ter uma relação com a abundância de jaqueiras. As principais síndromes de dispersão observadas no trabalho, referente às espécies que foram identificadas, foram à anemocoria e a zoocoria, sendo esta ultima síndrome a mais abundante entre as áreas. Os resultados mostraram que a presença das jaqueiras afeta, negativamente a chuva de sementes no Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande. Uma menor riqueza e abundância de sementes nativas alcançaram o solo nas áreas com jaqueira (C) podendo afetar a sucessão e a dinâmica da floresta. / Seed rain is the dynamic seed dispersion of a forest, representing what reaches the ground by means of dispersal agents. In the community of plants, the predominant dispersal syndromes allow the understanding of the successional stages, structure and level of conservation of vegetation. The jackfruit tree, Artocarpus heterophyllus, was introduced In Brazil during the colonial period. The jackfruit invasion could be impairing the dispersion of native species, since the dispersion of native seeds may be affected by the spatial distribution of plants and by the barriers present in the environment. The study aimed to verify whether the jacket, because it is an exotic invasive species, influences the composition and abundance of seed rain. The study was conducted in the Atlantic forest, located in the State Park of Ilha Grande, RJ. Were used to collect seed rain 16 collectors with 1m of diameter in areas with (C) and without (S) jackfruit, totaling 32 collectors checked monthly during one year of collection. The analyses performed in this work were ANOVA, Regression and NMDS, in order to verify if the presence of jackfruit would be influencing the seed rain as for richness, composition and abundance. In the material from 320 samples, we observed 166.376 seeds, corresponding to 84 morphospecies, 29 species belonging to 25 families and 55 unidentified morphospecies. The areas without (S) jackfruit showed greater richness, low abundance and diversity. In areas with jackfruit (C) the abundance of native seeds showed a negative relationship with the abundance of the exotic in the plots. The composition and abundance of diaspores had no clear separation between areas with and without jackfruit, as showed in the NMDS. However, when analyzing the first axis of NMDS with the abundance of jackfruit trees in the grids, the relationship with the number abundance of jackfruit. The main dispersion syndromes observed in work related species which have been identified, and were anemochory and zoochory, the latter being the most abundant syndrome among areas. The results showed that the presence of jackfruit tree affects the seed rain in Ilha Grande State Park. A lower richness and abundance of native seeds reach the ground in areas with jackfruit (C) affecting the succession and dynamics of the forest.