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Slow spread of the aggressive invader, Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass)

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Abstract

Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass) is a non-native weed whose rapid invasion threatens native diversity and regeneration in forests. Using data from a 4 year experiment tracking new invasions in different habitats, we developed a spatial model of patch growth, using maximum likelihood techniques to estimate dispersal and population growth parameters. The patches expanded surprisingly slowly: in the final year, the majority of new seedlings were still within 1 m of the original patch. The influence of habitat was not as strong as anticipated, although patches created in roadside and wet meadow habitats tended to expand more rapidly and had greater reproductive ratios. The long-term projections of the patch growth model suggest much slower spread than has typically been observed for M. vimineum. The small scale of natural dispersal suggests that human-mediated dispersal, likely influenced by forest road management, is responsible for the rapid spread of this invasive species.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Brian Jones, Matt Booher, Stephen Kinneer and Daniel Heggenstaller for assistance with fieldwork and Scott Harkcom for access to field sites. Three anonymous reviewers offered helpful comments. This work was partially supported by the National Research Initiative of the USDA-CSREES, grant number 2007-02917.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, 116 ASI Building, University Park, PA, 16823, USA

    Emily S. J. Rauschert, David A. Mortensen & Andrea N. Nord

  2. Departments of Biology, Entomology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, 501 ASI Building, University Park, PA, 16823, USA

    Ottar N. Bjørnstad

  3. Av. Cordoba 4316 6°15 (C1414BAO), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Nora Peskin

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  1. Emily S. J. Rauschert
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  2. David A. Mortensen
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Correspondence to Emily S. J. Rauschert.

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Rauschert, E.S.J., Mortensen, D.A., Bjørnstad, O.N. et al. Slow spread of the aggressive invader, Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass). Biol Invasions 12, 563–579 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-009-9463-y

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