Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial Characteristics of the Invasion of Acer platanoides on a Temperate Forested Island

  • Published:
Biological Invasions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We examined the spatial pattern of an introduced population of Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) on a temperate forested island in order to quantify the influence of landscape context on invasion pattern. The spatial location of every Norway maple tree and sapling (≥0.5 m tall) that had invaded the island forest (n = 4496) was mapped using a global positioning system. The influence of landscape context was examined with the aid of a geographic information system and indices of spatial association. We found that the coniferous forest type was the most heavily invaded (71.9% of all Norway maple stems) when compared to either the hardwood or mixed conifer–hardwood forest types (5.4% and 19.3%, respectively). Across all forest types (excluding urban trees), the population was highly aggregated around roads and other Norway maple trees. For example, 90% of the population was within 40.8 m of a road with an average distance from road of 21.02 ± 0.40 m. This association around roads was significantly greater than would be predicted by chance alone (P < 0.001). Similarly, nearest neighbor distances averaged 4.5 ± 0.2 m with 90% of individuals within 8.3 m of another Norway maple. Measures of spatial association indicated that the invasion was significantly aggregated at both the stand and island scale. Nevertheless, a comparatively small but potentially influential set of individuals were observed at relatively long distances from the main invasion front. Ramifications of these disjunct establishments and other observed patterns are discussed in the context of current spread pattern theory, invasive species monitoring, and control efforts.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Avery TE and Burkhart HE (1994) Forest Measurements. McGraw-Hill, New York, 408 pp

  • Anderson R (1999). Disturbance as a factor in the distribution of sugar maple and the invasion of Norway maple into a modified woodland. Rhodora 101(907): 264–273

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey TC and Gatrell AC (1995) Interactive Spatial Data Analysis. Longman Scientific and Technical, New York, 413 pp

  • Besag JE (1977). Comments on Ripley’s paper. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B 39(2): 193–195

    Google Scholar 

  • Brothers TS and Spingarn A (1992). Forest fragmentation and alien plant invasion of central Indiana old-growth forests. Conservation Biology 6(1): 91–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carey JR (1996). The incipient Mediterranean fruit fly population in California: implications for invasion biology. Ecology 77(6): 1690–1697

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark PJ and Evans FC (1954). Distance to nearest neighbor as a measure of spatial relationships in populations. Ecology 35(4): 445–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diggle PJ (2003). Statistical Analysis of Spatial Point Patterns. Oxford University Press, New York, 159

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobzhansky T, Powell JR, Taylor CE and Andregg M (1979). Ecological factors affecting the dispersal behavior of Drosophila pseudoobscura and its relatives. The American Naturalist 114(3): 325–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elton CS (1958) The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants. Methuen, London, 196 pp

  • ESRI (2003) ArcMap 8.1. Environmental Research Institute Inc., Redlands, California. http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/index.html

  • Fern K (2000) Plants For a Future Database. Retrieved from http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf on 4 January 2005.

  • Gehlhausen SM, Schwartz MW and Augspurger CK (2000). Vegetation and microclimatic edge effects in two mixed-mesophytic forest fragments. Plant Ecology 147: 21–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gordon AG and Rowe DCF (1982) Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, London, 132 pp

  • Higgins SI, Nathan R and Cain ML (2003). Are long-distance dispersal events in plants usually caused by nonstandard means of dispersal. Ecology 84(8): 1945–1956

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenness J (2004) Nearest features (nearfeat.avx) extension for ArcView 3.x. Jenness Enterprises. available at: http://www.jennessent.com/arcview/nearest_features.htm

  • Kloeppel BD and Abrams MD (1995). Ecophysiological attributes of the native Acer saccharum and the exotic Acer platanoides in urban oak forest in Pennsylvania, USA. Tree Physiology 15: 739–746

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lead S (2003) Random Sites Extention for ArcView. available at: http://arcscripts.esri.com/

  • Levine N (2002) CrimeStat II: A Spatial Statistics Program for the Analysis of Crime Incident Locations. Ned Levine & Associates, Houston, TX, and the National Institute of Justice, Washington, DC Houston. available at: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/crimestat.html#DOWNLOAD

  • Mackinac County Naturalization Office (2003) Legal property survey of Mackinac Island, MI. AutoCad format.

  • Martin PH (1999). Norway maple (Acer platanoides) invasion of a natural forest stand: understory consequence and regeneration pattern. Biological Invasions 1: 215–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matlack GR (1987). Diaspore size, shape and fall behavior in wind-dispersed plant species. American Journal of Botany 74(8): 1150–1160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matlack GR (1994). Vegetation dynamics of the forest edge – trends in space and successional time. Journal of Ecology 82: 113–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • (2003). Mackinac County: Michigan Geographic Framework V3.b. Michigan Center for Geographic Information, Lansing, MI

    Google Scholar 

  • Michigan Department of Natural Resources (1993) Inventory of Deer Habitat in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Utilizing Landsat Thematic Mapper Data. RFQ# 93G00032. Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 29 pp

  • Michigan Department of Natural Resources (2001) 1998 Series USGS Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles, Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Forestry, Mineral and Fire Management Division, Resource Mapping and Aerial Photography (RMAP). Lansing, MI

  • Milstein RL (1987) Mackinac Island State Park, Michigan. Geological Society of America Centennial Field Guide – North Central Section: 285–288

  • Moody ME and Mack RN (1988). Controlling the spread of plant invasions: the importance of nascent foci. Journal of Applied Ecology 25: 1009–1021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neubert MG and Caswell H (2000). Demography and dispersal: calculation and sensitivity analysis of invasion speed for structured populations. Ecology 81(6): 1613–1628

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neter J, Kutner MH, Nachtsheim CJ and Wasserman W (1996) Applied Linear Statistical Models. WCB/McGraw-Hill, Boston, 1408 pp

  • Nowak DJ and Rowntree RA (1990). History and range of Norway maple. Journal of Arboriculture 16(11): 291–296

    Google Scholar 

  • Nuzzo V (1999). Invasion patern of the herb garlic mustard (Aliaria petiolata) in high quality forest. Biological Conservation 1: 169–179

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliver CD and Larson BC (1996) Forest Stand Dynamics. Wiley, New York, 520 pp

  • Parendes LA and Jones JA (2000). Role of light availability and dispersal in exotic plant invasion along raods and streams in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon. Conservation Biology 14(1): 64–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ripley BD (1977). Modelling spatial patterns. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B 39(2): 172–212

    Google Scholar 

  • (2004). SAS/STAT v. 8.02 of the SAS System for Windows. SAS Institute Inc, Cary, NC, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanford NL, Harrington RA and Fownes JH (2003). Survival and growth of native and alien woody seedlings in open and understory environments. Forest Ecology and Mangement 183: 377–385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shigesada N, Kawasaki K and Takeda Y (1995). Modelling stratafied diffusion in biological invasions. The American Naturalist 146(2): 229–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skellam JG (1951). Random dispersal in theoretical populations. Biometrika 38: 196–218

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Trimble (2002) GPS Pathfinder Office v.2.90. Trimble USA Sunnyvale, CA, USA

  • Trombulak SC and Frissell CA (2000). Review of ecological effects of roads on terrestrial and aquatic communities. Conservation Biology 14(1): 18–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tukey JW (1949). Comparing individual means in the analysis of variance. Biometrics 5: 99–114

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Webb SL and Kauzinger CK (1993). Biological invasion of the Drew University (New Jersey) Forest Preserve by Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.). Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 120(3): 343–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webb SL, Dwyer M, Kauzinger CK and Wyckoff PH (2000). The myth of the resilient forest: case study of the invasive Norway maple (Acer platanoides). Rhodora 102(911): 332–354

    Google Scholar 

  • With KA (2002). The landscape ecology of invasive spread. Conservation Biology 16(5): 1192–1203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wyckoff PH and Webb SL (1996). Understory influence of the invasive Norway maple (Acer Platanoides). Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 123(3): 197–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA

    Steven R. Wangen, Christopher R. Webster & Jennifer A. Griggs

Authors
  1. Steven R. Wangen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christopher R. Webster
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jennifer A. Griggs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher R. Webster.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wangen, S.R., Webster, C.R. & Griggs, J.A. Spatial Characteristics of the Invasion of Acer platanoides on a Temperate Forested Island. Biol Invasions 8, 1001–1012 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-005-2060-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-005-2060-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation