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Restoring native plants following invasive Malephora crocea (coppery iceplant, Aizoaceae) eradication on Anacapa Island

<p> To avoid unintended complications of invasive species eradication, it is important to understand the potential implications of the techniques used in species eradication efforts. This study aimed to compare how different methods of removing <i>Malephora crocea</i> affect the survivorship of planted seedlings of native perennial plants on Anacapa Island. Employing a randomized complete block design in an <i>M. crocea</i> stand, three removal treatments were tested: 1) hand-pull; 2) spray with herbicide and leave skeletons; and 3) spray and then remove skeletons after 2.5 months. In each treatment, seedlings of three species (<i>Leptosyne gigantea, Frankenia salina</i>, and <i>Grindelia stricta</i>) and seeds of two species (<i>L. gigantea</i> and <i>G. stricta</i>) were planted. Survivorship and seed establishment were monitored quarterly between March 2010 and January 2011. For transplanted seedlings, the spray-and-leave treatment resulted in higher survivorship, while no difference was observed between the pull-treatments. Seed establishment was very low overall, but results of seeding of <i>G. stricta</i> showed that the spray-and-pull treatment provided for higher establishment than other treatments. <i> L. gigantea</i> seed establishment was inconclusive. The spray-and-leave treatment also provided the highest relative soil moisture. My results suggest that the spray-and-leave treatment provided the most suitable conditions for survival of transplanted native perennial vegetation.</p>

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1541511
Date20 August 2013
CreatorsHale, Nathan William
PublisherSan Jose State University
Source SetsProQuest.com
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typethesis

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