Essential variables to consider for an efficient control strategy for invasive plants include dispersion pattern (i.e., satellite or invasion front) and patch expansion rate. These variables were demonstrated for buffelgrass [Pennisetum ciliare (L.) Link], a C4 perennial grass introduced from Africa, which has invaded broadly around the world. The study site was along a roadway in southern Arizona (USA). The P. ciliare plant distributions show the pattern of clumping associated with the satellite (nascent foci) colonization pattern (average nearest neighbor test, z-score –47.2, P < 0.01). The distance between patches ranged from 0.743 to 12.8 km, with an average distance between patches of 5.6 km. Median patch expansion rate was 271% over the 3-yr monitoring period versus 136% found in other studies of established P. ciliare patches. Targeting P. ciliare satellite patches as a control strategy may exponentially reduce the areal doubling time, while targeting the largest patches may have less effect on the invasion speed.
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15 May 2019
Satellite patches, patch expansion, and doubling time as decision metrics for invasion control: Pennisetum ciliare expansion in southwestern Arizona
Jaron D. Weston,
Mitchel P. McClaran,
Richard K. Whittle,
Christian W. Black,
Jeffrey S. Fehmi
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Clustered pattern
invasive species
management strategy
Seed dispersion
Sonoran Desert