Invasive Exotic Plant Monitoring at Powder Mill Natural Area, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Year 1, 2011.

摘要

Ozark National Scenic Riverways includes 80,785 acres along the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers in Shannon, Carter, Dent, and Texas counties in Missouri. Located in the Current River Hills subsection of the Ozark Highlands physiographic province (Nigh and Schroeder 2002), the park protects numerous springs and 10 natural areas. The natural areas in the park are designated under the auspices of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Natural areas are selected to represent rare or exemplary relatively undisturbed assemblages of animals, plants, and physical features. For this reason, invasive plant management on the park is typically prioritized towards these areas. Documenting non-random distributions of invasive plants could allow managers to concentrate on areas with a high probability of finding these plants. Stroh and Stuckhof (2009) documented higher frequency and mean number of non-native plants along horse trails compared to old roads (without horse traffic). Overall frequency between intact areas and old roads was similar. The study also found a higher non-native to native plant ratio in river bottoms compared to glades. These ratios were both similar to plant communities along upland waterways . These observations contrasted somewhat with those in a study evaluating the location and abundance of plants in the vicinity of Big Springs Natural Area (Short et al. 2010). Most invasive plants were associated with roads, trails, open fields, and riparian areas. In our field observations, this distribution fits many species such as Chinese lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), and spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii). Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), and wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), however, are exceptions to this rule that we have observed within forests.