Range expansion of the hadeda ibis Bostrychia hagedash in southern Africa

The southern African range of the habeda ibis Bostrychia hagedash has expanded from 530 900 km 2 in 1910 to 1 323 300 km2 in 1985. Major range expansions have occurred in the fynbos biome of the south-western Cape, the Karoo, the grasslands of the eastern Cape, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal highveld. Smaller expansions are documented for Lesotho, eastern Zimbabwe, central Mozambique and westwards along the Zambezi, Okavango, Limpopo and Orange rivers. The reasons for this expansion were investigated. Important factors include reduction in human persecution following the introduction of legislation in the period 1934 to 1941 and an increase of alien trees in formerly treeless areas. The increases in artificial impoundments and areas under irrigation are thought to have played a smaller role

Patterns of alien plant distribution in a river landscape following an extreme flood

AbstractThe availability of suitable patches and gaps in the landscape is a crucial determinant of invasibility for alien plants. The type and arrangement of patches in the landscape may both facilitate and obstruct alien plant invasions, depending on whether alien species perceive the patches as barriers. In February 2000 tropical weather systems caused an extreme flood with an estimated return interval of 90 to 200 years in the Sabie River, South Africa. The impact of the 2000 flood on the Sabie River landscape provides an array of patches that may provide suitable resources for the establishment of alien plants. This study examines the distribution of alien plants in relation to patchiness of the Sabie River landscape. Our hypothesis was that if certain patches in the river landscape do not represent environmental barriers to alien plant invasion, alien species will occur preferentially in these patch types. The Sabie River within Kruger National Park [KNP] was divided into six patch types (zones, channel types, elevations, geomorphic units, substrates and flood imprint types). We then examined the distribution of native and alien woody and herbaceous density and species richness in patches. The density and species richness of alien plants in the Sabie River in KNP is very low when compared to the density and species richness of native plants. Some patches (bedrock distributary and braid bar geomorphic units) contained higher density and richness of alien plants compared to the other patches examined, indicating that these locations in the river landscape offer the resources necessary for alien plant establishment. Individual alien species are also associated with different parts of the river landscape. Failure of large numbers of alien plants to establish after the 2000 flood is most likely due to a combination of factors—the plant specific barriers imposed by landscape patchiness, the high abundance and richness of native vegetation leading to competition, and for some species certainly, the clearing by the management (Working for Water) programme

Allelopathic effects of invasive Eucalyptus camaldulensis on germination and early growth of four native species in the Western Cape, South Africa

Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. (red river gum; Myrtaceae) is an invasive tree in riparian habitats of the Western Cape, South Africa, where it replaces indigenous vegetation and affects ecosystem functioning. These invasions lead to changes in river geomorphology and reduction in stream flow. The mechanisms that drive these effects are poorly understood. The potential for allelopathic effects of aqueous extracts of E. camaldulensis tissues and of soil and litter collected beneath E. camaldulensis trees on the germination and seedling growth of four selected native plant species was investigated in a greenhouse experiment. Soils collected beneath E. camaldulensis trees were used in three treatments: untreated soils, sterilised soils and sterilised soils overlaid with a eucalypt litter layer. In addition, soils collected from underneath native species were used in two treatments: untreated soils and soils overlaid with a eucalypt litter layer. All soil treatments were watered with three E. camaldulensis leaf, bark and root aqueous treatments. Compounds present in the aqueous extracts and fresh samples were identified using gas chromatography. Soil and aqueous treatments showed varying effects on germination and seedling growth of the four native species. Germination and seedling growth of Olea europaea subsp. africana and Dimorphotheca pluvialis were significantly reduced by E. camaldulensis root and bark aqueous extracts as well as by the soils treatments. The addition of eucalypt litter to native and sterilised soils reduced shoot and root growth of all four native species. Compounds such as -phellandrene, eucalyptol, p-menth-1-en-8-ol and a-pinene, which have the potential to inhibit germination and plant growth, were identified in E. camaldulensis aqueous extracts and fresh samples. Although the methods applied in this study had limitations (e.g. lack of control treatment to litter addition), the results provide an additional motivation to prioritise removal of invasive E. camaldulensis stands from riparian ecosystems. Restoration initiatives should target native species that are not negatively affected by allelopathy

Performance of seedlings of the invasive alien tree Schinus molle L. under indigenous and alien host trees in semi-arid savanna

We assessed the importance of host trees in influencing invasion patterns of the alien tree Schinus molle L. (Anacardiaceae) in semi-arid savanna in South Africa. Recruitment of S. molle is dependent on trees in its invaded habitat, particularly Acacia tortilis Hayne. Another leguminous tree, the invasive alien mesquite (Prosopis sp.), has become common in the area recently, but S. molle rarely recruits under canopies of this species. Understanding of the association between these species is needed to predict invasion dynamics in the region. We conducted experiments to test whether: (i) seedling survival of S. molle is better beneath A. tortilis than beneath mesquite canopies; (ii) growth rates of S. molle seedlings are higher beneath A. tortilis than beneath mesquite. Results showed that growth and survival of S. molle did not differ significantly beneath the native A. tortilis and the alien Prosopis species. This suggests that microsites provided by canopies of mesquite are as good for S. molle establishment as those provided by the native acacia. Other factors, such as the failure of propagules to arrive beneath mesquite trees, must be sought to explain the lack of recruitment beneath mesquite.Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biolog

Coboson formalism for Cooper pairs used to derive Richardson's equations

We propose a many-body formalism for Cooper pairs which has similarities to the one we recently developed for composite boson excitons (coboson in short). Its Shiva diagram representation evidences that $N$ Cooper pairs differ from $N$ single pairs through electron exchange only: no direct coupling exists due to the very peculiar form of the BCS potential. As a first application, we here use this formalism to derive Richardson's equations for the exact eigenstates of $N$ Cooper pairs. This gives hints on why the $N(N-1)$ dependence of the $N$-pair ground state energy we recently obtained by solving Richardson's equations analytically in the low density limit, stays valid up to the dense regime, no higher order dependence exists even under large overlap, a surprising result hard to accept at first. We also briefly question the BCS wave function ansatz compared to Richardson's exact form, in the light of our understanding of coboson many-body effects

Impacts of invasive alien trees on threatened lowland vegetation types in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa

This study investigated the autogenic recovery potential of native vegetation after clearing of dense stands of invasive alien trees in two critically endangered vegetation types in South Africa's Cape Floristic Region: Cape Flats Lowland Fynbos and Swartland Alluvium Fynbos. Sampling was done in areas previously occupied by the invasive tree Acacia saligna and plantations of Pinus radiata and in a fynbos reference site. Treatments varied in terms of the length of invasion and management histories. Plots previously under pines recovered well in terms of indigenous perennial species richness, but indigenous species cover decreased with increasing number of planting rotations. Areas cleared of acacia recovered poorly in terms of indigenous species cover (after one cycle of invasion), and indigenous species richness exhibited a declining trendwith increasing cycles of invasion. Proteoid overstoreywas lost in all previously invaded/planted plots and this elementwill need to be re-introduced to areas after one cycle of invasion regardless of the invasive species. Acacias changed some abiotic variables after two cycles of invasion. Follow-up clearing generally promoted better vegetation recovery in terms of overall species richness and structure but care should be taken not to damage indigenous ericoid shrubs. Overall, acacia invasion caused a greater change in biodiversity and vegetation structure than pine plantations

Naturalization of introduced plants: Ecological drivers of biogeographic patterns

The literature on biological invasions is biased in favour of invasive species – those that spread and often reach high abundance following introduction by humans. It is, however, also important to understand previous stages in the introduction–naturalization–invasion continuum (‘the continuum’), especially the factors that mediate naturalization. The emphasis on invasiveness is partly because most invasions are only recognized once species occupy large adventive ranges or start to spread. Also, many studies lump all alien species, and fail to separate introduced, naturalized and invasive populations and species. These biases impede our ability to elucidate the full suite of drivers of invasion and to predict invasion dynamics, because different factors mediate progression along different sections of the continuum.Abetter understanding of the determinants of naturalization is important because all naturalized species are potential invaders. Processes leading to naturalization act differently in different regions and global biogeographical patterns of plant invasions result from the interaction of population-biological, macroecological and human-induced factors. We explore what is known about how determinants of naturalization in plants interact at various scales, and how their importance varies along the continuum. Research that is explicitly linked to particular stages of the continuum can generate new information that is appropriate for improving the management of biological invasions if, for example, potentially invasive species are identified before they exert an impact