Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Paving the Way for Invasive Species: Road Type and the Spread of Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Roads function as prime habitats and corridors for invasive plant species. Yet despite the diversity of road types, there is little research on the influence of these types on the spread of invaders. Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), a plant producing large amounts of allergenic pollen, was selected as a species model for examining the impact of road type on the spread of invasive plants. We examined this relationship in an agricultural region of Quebec, Canada. We mapped plant distribution along different road types, and constructed a model of species presence. Common ragweed was found in almost all sampling sites located along regional (97%) and local paved (81%) roads. However, verges of unpaved local roads were rarely (13%) colonized by the plant. A model (53% of variance explained), constructed with only four variables (paved regional roads, paved local roads, recently mown road verges, forest cover), correctly predicted (success rate: 89%) the spatial distribution of common ragweed. Results support the hypothesis that attributes associated with paved roads strongly favour the spread of an opportunistic invasive plant species. Specifically, larger verges and greater disturbance associated with higher traffic volume create propitious conditions for common ragweed. To date, emphasis has been placed on controlling the plant in agricultural fields, even though roadsides are probably a much larger seed source. Strategies for controlling the weed along roads have only focused on major highways, even though the considerable populations along local roads also contribute to the production of pollen. Management prioritizations developed to control common ragweed are thus questionable.

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

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bassett IJ, Crompton CW (1975) The biology of Canadian weeds. 11. Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. and A. psilostachya DC. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 55:463–476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohren C (2006) Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. in Switzerland: concerted action to prevent further spreading. Nachrichtenblatt des Deutschen Pflanzenschutzdienstes 58:304–308

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bohren C (2008) Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.: control measures and their effects on its capacity of reproduction. Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection, special issue 21:308–312

    Google Scholar 

  • Breton M-C, Garneau M, Fortier I, Guay F, Louis J (2006) Relationship between climate, pollen concentrations of Ambrosia and medical consultations for allergic rhinitis in Montreal, 1994–2002. Science of the Total Environment 370:39–50

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cameron AC, Triverdi PK (2009) Microeconometrics using Stata. Stata Press, College Station

    Google Scholar 

  • Chauvel B, Dessaint F, Cardinal-Legrand C, Bretagnolle F (2006) The historical spread of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. in France from herbarium records. Journal of Biogeography 33:665–673

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clay SA, Kreutner B, Clay DE, Reese C, Kleinjan J, Forcella F (2006) Spatial distribution, temporal stability, and yield loss estimates for annual grasses and common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) in a corn/soybean production field over nine years. Weed Science 54:380–390

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cowbrough MJ, Brown RB, Tardif FJ (2003) Impact of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) aggregation on economic thresholds in soybean. Weed Science 51:947–954

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Craig DJ, Craig JE, Abella SR, Vanier CH (2010) Factors affecting exotic annual plant cover and richness along roadsides in the eastern Mojave Desert, USA. Journal of Arid Environments 74:702–707

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Csontos P, Vitalos M, Barina Z, Kiss L (2010) Early distribution and spread of Ambrosia artemisiifolia in Central and Eastern Europe. Botanica Helvetica 120:75–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delabays N, Bohren C, Mermillod G, Baker A (2008) Briser le cycle de l’ambroisie (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) pour épuiser son stock semencier dans les sites infestés. I. Efficacité et optimisation des régimes de coupe. Revue suisse d’agriculture 40:143–149

    Google Scholar 

  • DiTommaso A (2004) Germination behaviour of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) populations across a range of salinities. Weed Science 52:1002–1009

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Energy, Mines and Resources Canada (1994) Saint-Malachie, Québec. Map 21 L/10, Energy, Mines and Resources Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

  • ESRI (2006) ArcGIS, version 9.2. ESRI, Redlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Essl F, Dullinger S, Kleinbauer I (2009) Changes in the spatio-temporal patterns and habitat preferences of Ambrosia artemisiifolia during its invasion of Austria. Preslia 81:119–133

    Google Scholar 

  • Forman RTT (2000) Estimate of the area affected ecologically by the road system in the United States. Conservation Biology 14:31–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forman RTT, Sperling D, Bissonette JA, Clevenger AP, Cutshall CD, Dale VH, Fahrig L, France R, Goldman CR, Heanue K, Jones JA, Swanson FJ, Turrentine T, Winter TC (2003) Road ecology: science and solutions. Island Press, Washington, DC

  • Fumanal B, Gaudot I, Bretagnolle F (2008a) Seed-bank dynamics in the invasive plant, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. Seed Science Research 18:101–114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fumanal B, Girod C, Fried G, Bretagnolle F, Chauvel B (2008b) Can the large ecological amplitude of Ambrosia artemisiifolia explain its invasive success in France? Weed Research 48:349–359

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gelbard JL, Belnap J (2003) Roads as conduits for exotic plant invasions in a semiarid landscape. Conservation Biology 17:420–432

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilat A (2008) Matlab: an introduction with applications, 3rd edn. Wiley, Hoboken

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg CH, Crownover SH, Gordon DR (1997) Roadside soils: a corridor for invasion of xeric scrub by nonindigenous plants. Natural Areas Journal 17:99–109

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawbaker TJ, Radeloff VC (2004) Roads and landscape pattern in northern Wisconsin based on a comparison of four road data sources. Conservation Biology 18:1233–1244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawbaker TJ, Radeloff VC, Clayton MK, Hammer RB, Gonzalez-Abraham CE (2006) Road development, housing growth, and landscape fragmentation in northern Wisconsin: 1937–1999. Ecological Applications 16:1222–1237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosmer DW, Lemeshow S (2000) Applied logistic regression. Wiley, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hulme PE (2003) Biological invasions: winning the science battles but losing the conservation war? Oryx 37:178–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jodoin Y, Lavoie C, Villeneuve P, Thériault M, Beaulieu J, Belzile F (2008) Highways as corridors and habitats for the invasive common reed Phragmites australis in Quebec, Canada. Journal of Applied Ecology 45:459–466

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalwij JM, Milton SJ, McGeoch MA (2008) Road verges as invasion corridors? A spatial hierarchical test in an arid ecosystem. Landscape Ecology 23:439–451

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karim MN, Mallik AU (2008) Roadside revegetation by native plants. I. Roadside microhabitats, floristic zonation and species traits. Ecological Engineering 32:222–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaushal SS, Groffman PM, Likens GE, Belt KT, Stack WP, Kelly VR, Band LE, Fisher GT (2005) Increased salinization of fresh water in the northeastern United States. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102:13517–13520

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lavoie C, Jodoin Y, Goursaud de Merlis A (2007) How did common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) spread in Québec? A historical analysis using herbarium records. Journal of Biogeography 34:1751–1761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LeBlanc M-C, de Blois S, Lavoie C (2010) The invasion of a large lake by the Eurasian genotype of common reed: the influence of roads and residential construction. Journal of Great Lakes Research 36:554–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lelong B, Lavoie C, Thériault M (2009) Quels sont les facteurs qui facilitent l’implantation du roseau commun (Phragmites australis) le long des routes du sud du Québec? Écoscience 16:224–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LeSage JP (1999) Applied econometrics using Matlab. www.spatial-econometrics.com. Accessed 1 Nov 2010

  • Li T, Shilling F, Thorne J, Li F, Schott H, Boynton R, Berry AM (2010) Fragmentation of China’s landscape by roads and urban areas. Landscape Ecology 25:839–853

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald AAM, Kotanen PM (2010) The effects of disturbance and enemy exclusion on performance of an invasive species, common ragweed, in its native range. Oecologia 162:977–986

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McFadden D (1974) The measurement of urban travel demand. Journal of Public Econometrics 3:303–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meunier G (2008) Le gaillet mollugine (Galium mollugo L.) envahisseur: analyse de sa répartition et de ses impacts sur la diversité végétale au parc national du Bic. Thesis, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

  • Ministère des Transports du Québec (1994) Normes. Ouvrages routiers. Tome VI: entretien. Publications du Québec, Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada

  • Ministère des Transports du Québec (2007) Chaudière-Appalaches. Données de 2006. Ministère des Transports du Québec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

  • Ministère des Transports du Québec (2008) Normes. Ouvrages routiers. Tome VI: entretien. Publications du Québec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

  • Ministère des Transports du Québec (2010) Dossier dégel. La protection du réseau routier: une priorité. www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/portal/page/portal/Librairie/Publications/fr/camionnage/charges_dimensions/degel_fiches.pdf. Accessed 17 May 2010

  • Moran P (1950) A test for serial independence of residuals. Biometrika 37:178–181

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Municipalité régionale de comté de Bellechasse (2010) Site territorial de la Municipalité régionale de comté de Bellechasse. www.mrcbellechasse.qc.ca. Accessed 14 May 2010

  • Natural Resources Canada (1999) Saint-Raphaël, Québec. Map 21 L/15, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

  • Pauchard A, Alaback PB (2004) Influence of elevation, land use, and landscape context on patterns of alien plant invasions along roadsides in protected areas of south-central Chile. Conservation Biology 18:238–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramakrishna DM, Viraraghavan T (2005) Environmental impact of chemical deicers: a review. Water, Air, and Soil pollution 166:49–63

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rentch JS, Fortney RH, Stephenson SL, Adams HS, Grafton WN, Anderson JT (2005) Vegetation-site relationships of roadside plant communities in West Virginia, USA. Journal of Applied Ecology 42:129–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riitters KH, Wickham JD (2003) How far to the nearest road? Frontiers in Ecology and Environment 1:125–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robitaille A, Saucier J-P (1998) Paysages régionaux du Québec méridional. Publications du Québec, Sainte-Foy

    Google Scholar 

  • Rothrock PE, Squiers ER, Sheeley S (1993) Heterogeneity and size of a persistent seedbank of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. and Setaria faberi Herrm. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 120:417–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saint-Louis S, DiTommaso A, Watson AK (2005) A common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) biotype in southwestern Québec resistant to Linuron. Weed Technology 19:737–743

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma GP, Raghubanshi AS (2009) Plant invasions along roads: a case study from central highlands, India. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 157:191–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simard M-J, Benoit DL (2010) Distribution and abundance of an allergenic weed common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.), in rural settings of southern Québec, Canada. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 90:549–557

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • StataCorp LP (2009) Stata, version 11. StataCorp LP, College Station

    Google Scholar 

  • Trombulak SC, Frissell CA (2000) Review of ecological effects of roads on terrestrial and aquatic communities. Conservation Biology 14:18–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Truscott AM, Palmer SCF, McGowan GM, Cape JN, Smart S (2005) Vegetation composition of roadside verges in Scotland: the effects of nitrogen deposition, disturbance and management. Environmental Pollution 136:109–118

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent G, Ahmim M (1985) Note sur le comportement de l’Ambrosia artemisiifolia après fauchage. Phytoprotection 66:165–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitalos M, Karrer G (2009) Dispersal of Ambrosia artemisiifolia seeds along roads: the contribution of traffic and mowing machines. Neobiota 8:53–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Weaver SE (2001) Impact of lamb’s quarter, common ragweed and green foxtail on yield of corn and soybean in Ontario. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 81:821–828

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White H (1980) A heteroskedastic-consistent covariance matrix estimator and a direct test of heteroskedasticity. Econometrica 48:817–838

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willemsen RW (1975) Dormancy and germination of common ragweed seeds in the field. American Journal of Botany 62:639–643

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wopfner N, Gadermaier G, Egger M, Asero R, Ebner C, Jahn-Schmid B, Ferreira F (2005) The spectrum of allergens in ragweed and mugwort pollen. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology 138:337–346

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (grant to C. Lavoie) and by the École supérieure d’aménagement du territoire et de développement régional of Université Laval. We thank M. Thériault and three anonymous reviewers for comments on an earlier draft.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. École supérieure d’aménagement du territoire et de développement régional, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, G1A 0V6, Canada

    Martin Joly, Pascale Bertrand, Roland Y. Gbangou, Marie-Catherine White, Jean Dubé & Claude Lavoie

Authors
  1. Martin Joly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pascale Bertrand
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Roland Y. Gbangou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marie-Catherine White
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jean Dubé
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Claude Lavoie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claude Lavoie.

Additional information

All authors contributed equally to this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Joly, M., Bertrand, P., Gbangou, R.Y. et al. Paving the Way for Invasive Species: Road Type and the Spread of Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Environmental Management 48, 514–522 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9711-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9711-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation