Title: Effects of Invasive Plants on Wildlife
1Effects of Invasive Plants on Wildlife
- Mark Hostetler
- IFAS, University of Florida
2Overview
- Wildlife Basic Habitat Requirements
- An example about birds
- Invasive Plants
- How they disrupt wildlife habitat
- Specific examples
3Wildlife Habitat
Photo by Joe Schaefer
4Invasive Exotic Plant?
- An Exotic plant that is free-living and can cause
- environmental or economic damage
- Considered invasive exotic by the Invasive
Species - Working Group
- http//www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/invaspec/
5Wildlife?
Black Bear
Katydid
Alligator
O.-crowned Warbler
Shoal Bass
Flatwoods Salamander
6Habitat for Birds
7FOOD
8Insectivores
Photos courtesy of www.flwildflowers.com
9Insect Eaters
Yellow Warbler
Great-crested Flycatcher
Hairy Woodpecker
10Granivores
Sweet Gum Tree
Spanish Needle
11Seed Eaters
White-crowned Sparrow
House Finch
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
12Frugivores
- Many different plant species produce fruit
- (e.g., hollies, cedar trees, beauty berries, wax
myrtles)
www.flwildflowers.com
Beautyberry
Holly spp.
13Nectivores
Hummingbirds like to feed on plants that produce
nectar
Trumpet vine
Coral Honeysuckle
14Fruit and Nectar Eaters
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Cedar Waxwing
15Carnivores
16Meat Eaters
Loggerhead Shrike
Barred Owl
Great-horned Owl
17COVER
18Cavities
- Snags are in
- short supply in
- some habitat
19Primary Cavity Nesters
Pileated Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
20Secondary Cavity Nesters
- Photos of owls, titmice, chickadees, etc.
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Great-crested Flycatcher
Eastern Bluebird
21Vegetation for Cover
- Some nest on the ground where there is lots of
vegetative cover
22WATER
23Aquatic Birds
Great Egret
Osprey
24Space
25Example Trees and a Bird
26How Do Invasive Plants Affect Wildlife?
27Effects of Invasive Plants on Wildlife Populations
- Create monocultures of new habitat
- Alter ecological processes (e.g., fire
frequencies and intensity)
28Air Potato(Dioscorea bulbifera)
- Covers mature trees and shades out understory
vegetation - Impact on wildlife has not been well studied
29Australian Pine(Casuarina spp.)
- Quickly colonizes disturbed beach plant
communities - Invasions produce dense litter
- Decrease in small mammal population densities
- Affects nesting efforts of sea turtles and
American crocodiles
30Brazilian Pepper(Schinus terebinthifolius)
- Forms dense monospecific stands
- Fewer birds nest in pepper forests
- In some cases, fewer amphibians and reptile
species were collected in pepper forests
31Chinese Tallow(Sapium sebiferum)
- Forms dense monospecific stands
- Increase nutrient loading on aquatic systems
- Impact on wildlife has not been well studied
32Hydrilla(Hydrilla verticillata)
- Reduces light penetration and low levels of
dissolved oxygen beneath canopy - Can shift macroinvertebrate populations
- In extreme situations, can affect growth rate of
popular game fishes - Food for some waterfowl species
33Hydrilla
34Old World Climbing Fern(Lygodium microphyllum)
- Dense blankets over native trees
- Insect diversity is decreased
- Impact on other wildlife has not been well studied
35Melaleuca(Melaleuca quinquenervia)
- Extremely dense monospecific forests
- Some evidence that it causes wetlands to dry up
- Fires burn hotter in wetlands
36Melaleuca
- Decrease in small mammal population densities (?)
- Poor forage for large vertebrates
- Some birds are benefited
- Generally, effects on wildlife not well studied
37Torpedo Grass(Panicum repens)
- Forms extensive monospecific stands of grass
- Displaces native vegetation along shorelines
- Little value for fishes, waterfowl, or songbirds
38Water Hyancith(Eichhornia crassipes)
- Forms dense aquatic plant canopy cover
- Low light intensities and dissolved oxygen levels
- Smothers beds of native submersed vegetation
- Can cause lower fish production
39Spotted Knapweed(Centaurea maculosa)
- Reduced forage of elk between 50 90
40Leafy Spurge(Euphorbia esula)
- Reduced bison forage by 83
41Impact on Wildlife?
- Invasives change the environment (e.g., closed
canopy and dissolved oxygen levels) - Invasives replace native plants - most wildlife
cannot eat invasive plants - Disrupts food chain
42Where to Go for Info On Wildlife?
- Web site www.wec.ufl.edu/extension
- Call your local extension office
- Call Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission or visit www.state.fl.us/fwc
43Where to Go For Info on Invasive Species?
- Center for Aquatic Invasive Plants
- http//plants.ifas.ufl.edu/
- Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council
- http//www.fleppc.org/
- Department of Environmental Protection
- http//www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/invaspec
44What Can You Do?
- Remove Invasive Exotics on Your Property
- Report Invasive Exotic Plants
- Educate Your Neighbors About Invasive
- Exotic Plants
45Summary
- Wildlife Habitat
- - Food, Cover, Water, and Space
- Not well studied, but monospecific stands of
- exotic plants do affect wildlife by replacing
- native plant communities.
- Wildlife Info www.wec.ufl.edu/extension
46(No Transcript)
47Acknowledgements
Developed by
Dr. Mark Hostetler, Department of
WildlifeEcology and Conservation, IFAS,
University of Florida, 2001.
48Acknowledgements
Photo Sound Credits
Mark Hostetler, Vic Ramey, Ann Murray, and Dan
Sudia Invasive Plants Center for Aquatic
Invasive Plants USGS Patuxent Bird Center (Bird
Photos) http//www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i
nfocenter.html FL Museum of Natural History
http//www.flmnh.ufl.edu