Baeten, Lander

Hermy, Martin

Vanhellemont, Margot

Verheyen, Kris

English

Ghent University Academic Bibliography

Science Facing Aliens – Brussels, May 11th 2009Patterns of Prunus serotina invasion in two contrasting forests on sandy soilsVanhellemont Margot1, Baeten Lander 1, Hermy Martin2, Verheyen Kris 1 1 Laboratory of Forestry, Ghent University, B-9090 Gontrode, Belgium 2 Division Forest, Nature and Landscape, K.U.Leuven, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium Prunus  serotina,  a  North-American  tree  species,  is  considered  an  aggressive invasive species in Western Europe. Opposite to prior studies, which focused mostly on  areas  heavily  invaded  by  P.  serotina,  we  studied  long-term (70  years)  forest development in two forest reserves in areas with a low propagule pressure: the forest reserves Liedekerke (Belgium) and Ossenbos (the Netherlands). Based on cadastral maps and aerial photographs, tree ring analysis, forest inventories and regeneration data,  we  reconstructed  the  P.  serotina invasion  in  both  forests.  Long-distance dispersal events and windows of opportunity triggered the invasion of  P. serotina, while  further  colonization  was  directed  by  connectivity  to  seed sources  and light availability. The presence of native shrub species, the quick canopy closure, and the recalcitrant  herb  layer  seemed  to  hamper  further  P.  serotina establishment. Conversely, high herbivore pressure was found to favour  P. serotina above native species, which resulted in  P. serotina dominance. The outcome of the  P. serotina invasion process contrasted sharply between the two studied forests: P. serotina was omnipresent and very abundant in the Ossenbos while the species did not act as an aggressive invader in the Liedekerke forest reserve. Consequently, it appears to be important to study an invasive species and the recipient ecosystem jointly and to formulate differentiated management approaches conditional upon the characteristics of the recipient ecosystem. Verheyen K, Vanhellemont M, Stock T, Hermy M (2007) Predicting patterns of invasion by black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) in Flanders (Belgium) and its impact on the forest understorey community. Diversity and Distributions 13:487–497. Vanhellemont M, Verheyen K, De Keersmaeker L, Vandekerkhove K, Hermy M. Does Prunus serotina act as an aggressive invader in areas with a low propagule pressure? Biological Invasions. Published online first, September 23, 2008. DOI 10.1007/s10530-008-9353-8. Vanhellemont M, Wauters L, Baeten L, Bijlsma R-J, De Frenne P, Hermy M, Verheyen K. Prunus serotina unleashed: invader dominance after 70 years of forest development under high herbivore pressure. Submitted to Ecological Applications.12

Patterns of Prunus serotina invasion in two contrasting forests on sandy soils

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/671255/file/880620

Patterns of Prunus serotina invasion in two contrasting forests on sandy soils

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