Carolyn: You are right, its not the mere existence of the plant (Penn sedge) that is a problem, the problem is that it takes on the same characteristics as exotic invasive species with regard to the scale of its spread, preventing (perhaps permanently) the other native species from recovery.
Lee At 10:22 PM 12/11/2008, you wrote: >Hi Lee, > >You are a scientist and I am not, but it does seem to me an accurate term, >speaking as a lay person. It is the earthworms that are the invaders, no? >The sedge is on its home turf and is merely taking advantage of favorable >conditions created by the earthworm to expand its niche at the expense of >other natives. If something native expands its niche that is just an >expansion, but if a plant is introduced from another continent that truly >is an invasion. Why not refer to these problems as native monocultures, >since the problem is not the existence of the plant, but rather the >absence of diversity? >-- > Carolyn Summers > 63 Ferndale Drive > Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706 > 914-478-5712 > > > > >From: Lee Frelich <[email protected]> >Reply-To: <[email protected]> >Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:31:01 -0600 >To: <[email protected]> >Subject: [ENTS] Re: Shrub-layer an empty niche? > >Ed, Don: > >I find the term native invasive useful and will continue to use it in >publications (along with exotic invasive and exotic non-invasive). Native >invasive is particularly useful for species like Carex pensylvanica, that >have expanded their niche to exclude most other native species permanently >over vast areas in the absence of disturbance, but that happened to be >preadapted to the disappearance of certain mycorrhizae from the soil. > >Lee > >At 03:56 PM 12/11/2008, you wrote: >Don, > >I am in complete agreement about the term Native Invasive. It is an >oxymoron and should be abandonned. The concept trying to be expressed is >interesting however. Consider that something might cause the explosive >increase in the number of one native species to the detriment of others >that would normally be expected in an area. In other examples a single >species may be present in greater numbers than in the adjacent areas >because of some specific type of disturbance. This condition may persist >for a long time or be relatively ephemeral min nature. In this regard I >am thinking of the Marion Brooks Natural Area in PA. Here the location >was logged, then a massive fire burnt the area destroying most of the >organic material and soil structure. the area was pioneered by white >birch. This occurred 80 or 90 years ago and the area persists as a stand >of almost pure white birch. other species are not recolonizing the area >as might be expected in a normal disturbed region. > >Another example to a degree might be patches of forests that have limited >species diversity because of alleopathy of some of the species >present. If some of these limited areas were to expand it would be an >invasive-like effect that limited the diversity of species present in the >area compared to the normal forest. > >I guess I am just rambling at this point. > >Ed > > >Join the Primal Forests - Ancient Trees Community at: ><http://primalforests.ning.com/>http://primalforests.ning.com/ >----- Original Message ----- > >From: DON BERTOLETTE <mailto:[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2008 3:12 PM >Subject: [ENTS] Re: Shrub-layer an empty niche? > >Ryan/Ed- > From my perspective, the phrase "native invasive" is a contradiction in > terms, and should be discontinued immediately, lest it gain coinage by > being "Google-able"....;>} > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org You are subscribed to the Google Groups "ENTSTrees" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
