Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

When Landscaping Goes Bad: The Incipient Invasion of Mahonia bealei in the Southeastern United States

  • Published:
Biological Invasions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Woodlots are forest islands embedded within an urban matrix, and often represent the only natural areas remaining in suburban areas. Woodlots represent critical conservation areas for native plants, and are important habitat for wildlife in urban areas. Invasion by non-indigenous (NIS) plants can alter ecological structure and function, and may be especially severe in remnant forests where NIS propagule pressure is high. Woody shrubs in the Family Berberidaceae have been well documented as invaders of the forest–urban matrix in North America. Mahonia bealei (Berberidaceae) is a clonal shrub native to China, and is a popular ornamental in the Southeastern United States. Mahoni bealei is listed as “present” on some local and state floras, but almost nothing is known regarding its invasion potential in the United States. We sampled 15 woodlots in Clemson, South Carolina, to assess the invasion of M. bealei and other woody non-indigenous species (NIS). M. bealei invaded 87% of the woodlots surveyed and species richness of NIS on these woodlots varied from 5 to 14. Stepwise-multiple regression indicated that less canopy cover and older M. bealei predicted greater abundance of M. bealei , and that not all subdivisions were equally invaded (P < 0.0001; r 2 = 0.88). The impact of M. bealei on native flora and fauna may be considerable, and it is likely to continue to spread in the Southeastern United States. M. bealei should be recognized as an aggressive invader in the Southeastern United States, with the potential for negative impacts on native flora and fauna.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • H Auge R Brandl (1997) ArticleTitleSeedling recruitment in the invasive clonal shrub, Mahonia aquifolium Pursh (Nutt.) Oecologia 110 205–211 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004420050151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • H Auge R Brandl M Fussy (1997) ArticleTitlePhenotypic variation, herbivory and fungal infection in the clonal shrub Mahonia aquifolium (Berberidaceae) Mitt. Dtsch. Ges. allg. angew. Ent 11 747–750

    Google Scholar 

  • J Auger SE Meyer HL Black (2002) ArticleTitleAre American black bears (Ursus americanus) legitimate seed dispersers for fleshy-fruited shrubs? American Midland Naturalist 147 352–367

    Google Scholar 

  • M Basinger (2001) ArticleTitleAdditions to the vascular flora of Illinois Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 94 199–205

    Google Scholar 

  • Black RJ (1999) Selected shrubs for North Florida. Circular 500, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Revised: May 1999

  • C Boutin B Jobin (1998) ArticleTitleIntensity of agricultural practices and effects on adjacent habitats Ecological Applications 8 544–557

    Google Scholar 

  • B Bowen K Johnson S Franklin G Call M Webber (2002) ArticleTitleInvasive exotic pest plants in Tennessee Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science 77 45–48

    Google Scholar 

  • J Cairns (1988) Restoration ecology: the new frontier J Cairns (Eds) Rehabilitating Damaged Ecosystems CRC Press Boca Raton Florida 1–11

    Google Scholar 

  • RH Deering JL Vankat (1999) ArticleTitleForest colonization and development of growth of the invasive shrub Lonicera maackii American Midland Naturalist 141 43–50

    Google Scholar 

  • JG Ehrenfeld (1997) ArticleTitleInvasion of deciduous forest preserves in the New York metropolitan region by Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii DC.) Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 124 210–215

    Google Scholar 

  • JG Ehrenfeld (1999) ArticleTitleStructure and dynamics of populations of Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii DC.) in deciduous forests of New Jersey Biological Invasions 1 203–213 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1010066810897

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis DJ (1995) Wildlife in the winter garden. American Horticulturalist November: 16–17

  • PVA Fine (2002) ArticleTitleThe invasibility of tropical forests by exotic plants Journal of Tropical Ecology 18 687–705 Occurrence Handle10.1017/S0266467402002456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KE Freemark C Boutin CJ Keddy (2002) ArticleTitleImportance of farmland habitats for conservation of plant species Conservation Biology 16 399–412 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.00387.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M Fussell S Corbet (1992) ArticleTitleFlower usage by bumble-bees: a basis for forage plant management Journal of Applied Ecology 29 451–465

    Google Scholar 

  • EF Gilman (1999) Mahonia bealei Fact Sheet FPS-376, Florida Cooperative Extension Service Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida

    Google Scholar 

  • DR Gordon (1998) ArticleTitleEffects of invasive, non-indigenous plant species on ecosystem process: lesson from Florida Ecological Applications 8 975–989

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrup B (1998) Wintering blackcaps taking nectar from, and probably pollinating, Mahonia. British Birds 91: 1998

  • RJ Hobbs SE Humphries (1995) ArticleTitleAn integrated approach to the ecology and management of plant invasions Conservation Biology 9 761–770 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1523-1739.1995.09040761.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O Honnay P Endels H Vereecken M Hermy (1999) ArticleTitleThe role of patch area and habitat diversity in explaining native plant species richness in disturbed suburban forest patches in northern Belgium Diversity and Distributions 5 129–141 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1472-4642.1999.00047.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • RB Jackson JL Banner EG Jobbagy WT Pockman DH Wall (2002) ArticleTitleEcosystem carbon loss with woody plant invasion of grasslands Nature 418 623–626 Occurrence Handle12167857 Occurrence Handle10.1038/nature00910 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38XlvVylt7c%3D

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • G Lebuhn GJ Anderson (1994) ArticleTitleAnther tripping and pollen dispersing in Berberis thunbergii American Midland Naturalist 131 257–265

    Google Scholar 

  • A Leidolf S McDaniel T Nuttle (2002) ArticleTitleThe flora of Oktibbeha County, Mississippi SIDA-Contributions to Botany 20 691–765

    Google Scholar 

  • JB Levenson (1981) Woodlots as biogeographic islands in southeastern Wisconsin RL Burgess DM Sharpe (Eds) Forest Island Dynamics in Man-dominated Landscapes Springer-Verlag New York 13–39

    Google Scholar 

  • BA Logan SC Grace WW Adams SuffixIII B Demmig-Adams (1998) ArticleTitleSeasonal differences in xanthophyll cycle characteristics and antioxidants in Mahonia repens growing in different light conditions Oecologia 116 9–17 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004420050558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WM Lonsdale (1999) ArticleTitleGlobal patterns of plant invasions and the concept of invasibility Ecology 80 1522–1536

    Google Scholar 

  • A Martin HS Zim AL Nelson (1951) American Wildlife and Plants: A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits Dover Publications New York

    Google Scholar 

  • GR Matlack (1993) ArticleTitleMicroenvironment variation within and among forest edge sites in the eastern United States Biological Conservation 66 185–194 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0006-3207(93)90004-K

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • PE Matthiae F Stearns (1981) Mammals in forest islands in southeastern Wisconsin RL Burgess DM Sharpe (Eds) Forest Island Dynamics in Man-dominated Landscapes Springer-Verlag New York 55–66

    Google Scholar 

  • RW Merriam E Feil (2002) ArticleTitleThe potential impact of an introduced shrub on native plant diversity and forest regeneration Biological Invasions 4 369–373 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1023668101805

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller CB (2002) Scents of winter. Horticulture Jan./Feb.: 24

  • JR Miller RJ Hobbs (2002) ArticleTitleConservation where people live and work Conservation Biology 16 330–337 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.00420.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • TD Nudds (1977) ArticleTitleQuantifying the vegetative structure of wildlife cover Wildlife Society Bulletin 5 113–117

    Google Scholar 

  • P Pfeiffer (2002) ArticleTitle Mahonia bealei American Nurseryman 1 110

    Google Scholar 

  • SH Reichard P White (2001) ArticleTitleHorticulture as a pathway of invasive plant introductions in the United States Bioscience 51 103–113

    Google Scholar 

  • M Rejmanek (1996) ArticleTitleA theory of seed plant invasiveness: the first sketch Biological Conservation 78 171–181 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0006-3207(96)00026-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DJ Robertson MC Robertson T Tague (1994) ArticleTitleColonization dynamics of four exotic plants in a northern piedmont natural area Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 121 107–118

    Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute, Inc. 2000. SAS OnlineDoc®, Version 8. Cary, North Carolina

  • JL Savard P Clergeau G Mennechez (2000) ArticleTitleBiodiversity concepts and urban ecosystems Landscape and Urban Planning 48 131–142 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0169-2046(00)00037-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • JA Silander DM Klepeis (1999) ArticleTitleThe invasion ecology of Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) in the New England landscape Biological Invasions 1 189–201 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1010024202294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D Simberloff B Holle ParticleVon (1999) ArticleTitlePositive interactions of nonindigenous species: invasional meltdown Biological Invasions 1 21–32 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1010086329619

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LL Soldaat H Auge (1998) Interactions between an invasive plant, Mahonia aquifolium, and a native phytophagous insect, Rhagoletis meigenii U Starfinger K Edwards I Kowarik M Williamson (Eds) Plant Invasions: Ecological Mechanisms and Human Responses Backhuys Publishers Leiden, The Netherlands 347–360

    Google Scholar 

  • MB Usher (1987) Effects of fragmentation on communities and populations: a review with applications to wildlife conservation DA Saunders GW Arnold AA Burbridge AJM Hopkins (Eds) Nature Conservation: The Role of Remnants of Native Vegetation Surrey Beatty and Sons Pry Ltd Chipping Norton New South, Wales Australia 103–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Wear DN and Greis JG (2001) The southern forest resource assessment summary report. Southern Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service

  • MH Williamson A Fitter (1996) ArticleTitleThe characters of successful invaders Biological Conservation 78 163–170 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0006-3207(96)00025-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. USGS – South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    Craig R. Allen

  2. South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    Ahjond S. Garmestani, Jill A. LaBram & Amanda E. Peck

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    Luanna B. Prevost

Authors
  1. Craig R. Allen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ahjond S. Garmestani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jill A. LaBram
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Amanda E. Peck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Luanna B. Prevost
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Craig R. Allen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Allen, C.R., Garmestani, A.S., LaBram, J.A. et al. When Landscaping Goes Bad: The Incipient Invasion of Mahonia bealei in the Southeastern United States. Biol Invasions 8, 169–176 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-004-2896-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-004-2896-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation