Impacts of <em>Ageratina riparia (Regel) R. M. King & H. Rob.</em> on natural regeneration of sub-montane forests at Knuckles Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka
Forest gaps and margins of sub-montane forests in the Knuckles Forest Reserve (KFR) are invaded by <em>Ageratina riparia. </em>It creates a dense cover and prevents the penetration of sunlight to the ground, which may affect the seedling establishment of indigenous species in invaded are...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
2017-12-01
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| Series: | Ceylon Journal of Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cjs.sljol.info/articles/7471 |
| Summary: | Forest gaps and margins of sub-montane forests in the Knuckles Forest Reserve (KFR) are invaded by <em>Ageratina riparia. </em>It creates a dense cover and prevents the penetration of sunlight to the ground, which may affect the seedling establishment of indigenous species in invaded areas. Six forest gaps and four footpaths inside sub-montane forests were sampled for <em>A. riparia </em>cover, density of forest species, soil moisture, soil root density, and canopy openness. Soil seed bank experiments were conducted during wet and dry seasons. The percentage cover of <em>A. riparia </em>decreased significantly when moving from the center of gaps/footpaths into the forest interior. Mean density and species diversity of forest species decreased with the increase of percentage cover of <em>A. riparia</em>. Low root density of forest species was observed in areas with high density of this invasive species. Higher seedling emergence of <em>A. riparia </em>from soil seed bank was observed along footpaths (~1500 seedlings m-2) than in forest gaps (~750 seedlings m<sup>-2</sup>) during the wet season. <em>A. riparia </em>seedling emergence was higher during the dry season (~22%) than the wet season (7-11%). Lower number of forest seedlings emerged in locations with higher percentage of <em>A. riparia </em>seedlings. Availability of light affects the establishment of <em>A. riparia </em>inside forests. Native species, <em>Psychotria zeylanica </em>and <em>Symplocos cochinchinensis </em>can be used to restore forests invaded by <em>A. riparia</em>. |
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| ISSN: | 2513-2814 2513-230X |