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Modeling population growth and site specific control of the invasive Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) under differing fire regimes

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Population Ecology

Abstract

It is at the population level that an invasion either fails or succeeds. Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) is a weed of great significance in Queensland Australia and globally but its whole life-history ecology is poorly known. Here we used 3 years of field data across four land use types (farm, hoop pine plantation and two open eucalyptus forests, including one with a triennial fire regime) to parameterise the weed’s vital rates and develop size-structured matrix models. Lantana camara in its re-colonization phase, as observed in the recently cleared hoop pine plantation, was projected to increase more rapidly (annual growth rate, λ = 3.80) than at the other three sites (λ 1.88–2.71). Elasticity analyses indicated that growth contributed more (64.6 %) to λ than fecundity (18.5 %) or survival (15.5 %), while across size groups, the contribution was of the order: juvenile (19–27 %) ≥ seed (17–28 %) ≥ seedling (16–25 %) > small adult (4–26 %) ≥ medium adult (7–20 %) > large adult (0–20 %). From a control perspective it is difficult to determine a single weak point in the life cycle of lantana that might be exploited to reduce growth below a sustaining rate. The triennial fire regime applied did not alter the population elasticity structure nor resulted in local control of the weed. However, simulations showed that, except for the farm population, periodic burning could work within 4–10 years for control of the weed, but fire frequency should increase to at least once every 2 years. For the farm, site-specific control may be achieved by 15 years if the biennial fire frequency is tempered with increased burning intensity.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Roger Anderson of Forestry Plantation Queensland (Australia) for providing much needed logistic support and access to numerous hoop pine plantation and eucalyptus forests under FPQ jurisdiction. Thanks also to Glen Douglass for access and use of his cattle farm to document long-term demographic changes of the invasive lantana in abandoned primary production lands. Many volunteers over the years helped in collection of the field data, especially Amanda Dimmock, Matthew Shortus, Jayd McCarthy and Stephen Caruana. The research was funded by the Queensland government through the Land Protection Council and by the Australian Federal Government through its Weeds of National Significance (WONS) program for Lantana camara. The input of Dr Dane Panetta in reading various versions of the manuscript is acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Invasive Plant and Animal Science Group, Biosecurity Science, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Ecosciences Precinct, GPO Box 267, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia

    Olusegun O. Osunkoya, Christine Perrett, Chandima Fernando & Cameron Clark

  2. Queensland Biosecurity Control Centre, Oxley, Brisbane, QLD, 4067, Australia

    Chandima Fernando

  3. USDA-ARS Australian Biological Control Laboratory and CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Rd, Dutton Park, QLD, 4102, Australia

    Sathyamurthy Raghu

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  1. Olusegun O. Osunkoya
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  4. Cameron Clark
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  5. Sathyamurthy Raghu
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Correspondence to Olusegun O. Osunkoya.

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Osunkoya, O.O., Perrett, C., Fernando, C. et al. Modeling population growth and site specific control of the invasive Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) under differing fire regimes. Popul Ecol 55, 291–303 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-013-0364-7

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