This thesis reports on research that examines the early stage invasion process of Asparagus asparagoides (L.) W. Wight (bridal creeper), primarily a bird-dispersed weed, in a remnant vegetation patch. The study site is on Phillip Island, approximately 100 kilometres south east of Melbourne, Victoria. Asparagus asparagoides invasion of the remnant vegetation reserve is a relatively recent phenomenon. Landscape elements that affect bird dispersal and vegetation types that affect seedling establishment may be important factors that limit or enhance the spread of A. asparagoides. A systematic sampling strategy was adopted and data collected for a variety of landscape and vegetative variables including cover and abundance of A. asparagoides and the data were presented in a Geographic Information System (GIS). Preliminary results show that the distribution of A. asparagoides within a remnant vegetation patch is not random. It appears to have entered the reserve from two boundaries, spreading toward the centre, which to date remains sparsely colonised despite the capacity of this weed to spread rapidly over long distances by birds. A number of other outcomes are noted. Asparagus asparagoides establishment is prevented in pasture where sheep and cattle graze, and paddocks subjected to tillage practices. The exclusion of grazing in fenced off vegetation in pastures demonstrates rapid weed establishment and colonisation several hundred metres from main infestation. Field observation and visual inspection of temporal progress of invasion (using above ground weed density with tuber appearance to infer age) appear to suggest that invasion into remnant is associated with the track network. This age/density assumption is strengthened when spatial distribution is examined using a data set where low-density values for A. asparagoides are removed and compared with a data set using all A. asparagoides density values. The mapping of A. asparagoides in fenced off farm remnants suggests that velocity of spread at 191m/yr is a considerable underestimate. Subsequent analysis shows that the spatial distribution of A. asparagoides is not completely spatially random while intensity surface analysis highlights regions of low and high intensity located near track network. Mapping a density surface within GIS provided confirmatory evidence for the establishment of satellite clusters along the track network. The change in the intensity surface observed using the two data sets (lowdensity values and all density values) is also consistent with an expanding invasion occurring between two time periods. Spatial point pattern analysis using K-function statistics shows that xxii the clustering observed using GIS appears to be occurring at two scales or distances (130m- 160m and 195m-205m). The association between tracks and the invasion process observed in the initial stages of the study is examined. There is a change in density as a function of distance from a track where the density of A. asparagoides appears to reduce the further away from the track a site is and this relationship holds regardless of track width. The final stages of the study look at the development of a predictive model. Visual exploration of the data through mapping in a GIS and field observation made during data collection provide the starting point for the development of logistic models to estimate the probability of A. asparagoides presence. Finally the best overall logistic model is applied to a second independent site to determine the general applicability of the model. A number of variables that impact on the presence of A. asparagoides, particularly during the initial stages of the invasion process, are identified. While all the identified variables and the overall model are statistically significant, the model is found to correctly predict presence/absence in only 67% of cases overall. The model however could be expected to correctly predict the presence of A. asparagoides in 74% of cases and has a false positive rate of 40%. The model is applied at a second independent site and found to have an overall percent correct rate of 80% and correctly predicted A. asparagoides presence in 94% of cases. The variables identified as influential in the early stage of invasion are relatively easy to acquire by simple field survey that does not require specialist skills. When considering the model as a tool for the management of remnant vegetation communities, high false positive rates may lead to limited resources being spent on searching sites where there is no weed. However, a high false negative rate would have a larger impact on the management of the weed since the undetected infestations would form sources for new propagules. The model performs well from this point of view in that it provided low false negative rates at both sites. The value of the predictive model is its ability to provide managers with information regarding specific areas to target for weed eradication and management can use the model to assess the effectiveness of any control measures by going back to obtain new cover density data, then using the model to examine the changes over time. The model also provides a starting point for the development of a generic model of A. asparagoides invasion at sites outside of Phillip Island and could also provide the starting point for developing models that could be used for other bird-dispersed fleshy-fruited weed species.

Agronomijos studijų programos magistro baigiamasis darbas 40 puslapių, 10 paveikslų, 2 lentelės, lietuvių kalba. Tyrimo objektas: paprastojo miežio (Hordeum vulgare L.) vasarinės veislės ,,Simba'' agrocenozė. Tyrimo tikslas: Įvertinti ilgalaikio skirtingo intensyvumo žemės dirbimo poveikį miežių agrocenozei, taikant intensyvias technologijas. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Apžvelgti mokslinę literatūrą ir atlikti sisteminę analizę tiriamuoju klausimu. 2. Aprašyti atlikto eksperimento vykdymo sąlygas ir metodus. 3. Tyrimais nustatyti ir įvertinti ilgalaikio skirtingo intensyvumo žemės dirbimo poveikį struktūros patvarumui, miežių sudygimui, pasėlių piktžolėtumui ir miežių produktyvumui. Tyrimo metodai: mokslinės literatūros apžvalga, loginė analizė ir sintezė, statistinė analizė, palyginamoji analizė, grafinio modeliavimo technikos. Tyrimo rezultatai: • Pirmoji dalis pristato Lietuvos ir užsienio autorių mokslinės literatūros analizę. Mokslinė medžiaga atrinkta, susisteminta ir analizuota. • Antroje dalyje aprašyti koncentruojamasi ties bandymo schema ir parametrais, mokslinio eksperimento variantais ir duomenų analizės stebėjimais ir metodais. • Trečioji dalis identifikuoja dirvožemio struktūros patvarumą, miežių sudygimą ir stiebų produktyvumą, miežių derlių, pasėlių piktžolėtumą bei miežių produktyvumą. Nustatyta, kad ilgalaikis skirtingo intensyvumo žemės dirbimas neturėjo esminės įtakos dirvožemio struktūros patvarumui. Nenustatyta esminės įtakos ir miežių produktyvumui... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Final work of University Undergraduate/Master Studies 47 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, the Lithuanian language. Object of the research: barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) spring variety Simba'' agrocenoses. Aim of the research: to evaluate the long-term effect of different soil tillage intensity on barley agrocenosis applying intensive technologies. Objectives of the research: 1. Review of the literature and perform a systematic analysis of the relevant issue. 2. Describe an experiment carried out with the conditions and methods. 3. Studies to identify and evaluate the long-term differences in the intensity of tillage effects on structural stability, barley germination, weed infestation and barley productivity. Research methods: review of scientific literature logical analysis and synthesis, statistical analysis, comparative analysis, graphical modelling techniques. Research results: • Part One presents Lithuanian and foreign scientific literature. Scientific material selected, structured and analysed. • Part Two describe the focus is on testing scheme and the parameters of the scientific variants of the experiment and data analysis methods and observations. • Part Three identifies the soil structure stability, barley germination and stem productivity of barley harvest, weed and barley crop productivity. It was established, that tillage intensity had no significant effect on soil aggregate stability and on barley productivity parameters except the number of germinating barley... [to full text]

The effect of shared enemies between invasive and native species has been argued to facilitate biological invasions (i.e., the apparent competition hypothesis or ACH). This study investigated a previously untested possibility: whether granivorous small mammals facilitate cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion by driving food-mediated apparent competition between cheatgrass and native grasses. Specifically, we tested three predictions that must be true if such apparent competition occurs. First, cheatgrass invasion augments total seeds available to granivorous small mammals. Second, density of granivorous small mammals increases in response to increased seed availability (simulated with experimental additions of cheatgrass seeds). Third, granivorous small mammals prefer seeds from native grasses over cheatgrass seeds. We tested these predictions in the Great Basin Desert of Utah, USA. Cheatgrass invasion augmented total yearly seed production. Granivorous small mammals preferred native seeds over cheatgrass seeds. However, neither abundance, richness, nor diversity of granivorous small mammals increased in response to experimental additions of cheatgrass seed. We therefore conclude that granivorous small mammals did not drive food-mediated apparent competition during the study period. The lack of support for the ACH in this study may suggest that the role of small mammal-driven apparent competition is either unimportant in the Great Basin, or that the appropriate indirect interactions between small mammals, cheatgrass, and native grasses have yet to be evaluated. Testing the third prediction required the separation of seeds from the soil matrix. We employed a chemical flotation methodology to recover target seeds from soil, and developed a novel method of decanting target material from the flotation solution. We compared the utility of the novel method to that of a traditional decantation method. Specifically, we compared effectiveness (the proportion of seeds recovered from a known sample), rapidity (the time required to decant that sample), efficiency (the number of seeds decanted per second), and recovery bias (the effect of relative density on seed recovery) between methods. Our proposed method was more effective, more rapid, more efficient, and less biased than the traditional method. Therefore, any future work relying on flotation to analyze seed banks should clearly describe how samples are decanted and should consider the proposed method as a potential means of enhancing the efficiency of chemical flotation.