Rubbish dumps as invasive plant epicentres

It is widely known that disturbed areas favour plant species invasion. However, the presence and impacts of introduced plants at rubbish dumps and landfills are less clear. We conducted a literature review to evaluate current knowledge on introduced plants species at these sites to assess their pote...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biological invasions 2018-09, Vol.20 (9), p.2277-2283
Main Authors: Plaza, Pablo I., Speziale, Karina L., Lambertucci, Sergio A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural practices
Agronomy
Allergens
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Composts
Developmental Biology
Ecological monitoring
Ecology
Economic impact
Flowers & plants
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Herbivores
Indigenous species
Introduced plants
Introduced species
Invasion Note
Invasive plants
Invasive species
Landfill
Landfills
Landscape
Life Sciences
Literature reviews
Nonnative species
Pests
Plant Sciences
Plant species
Plant species introduction
Propagules
Waste disposal sites
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Summary:It is widely known that disturbed areas favour plant species invasion. However, the presence and impacts of introduced plants at rubbish dumps and landfills are less clear. We conducted a literature review to evaluate current knowledge on introduced plants species at these sites to assess their potential role as invasion epicentres. Most of the studies we found (91%) were observational and only described plant species presence in multiple landscapes, including rubbish dumps or landfills. A minority of studies ( 95%) and included in the Global Invasive Species Database or the DAISIE list. One species, Arundo donax , is among the 100 worst invasive species in the world and eight more are listed among the 100 worst invasive species in Europe. Invasive species present at these sites may alter fire regimens, produce toxic and allergen effects, outcompete native species, act as agricultural pests, and lead to economic losses. Our results are a first step to include rubbish dumps and landfills in the agenda of ecologists and managers that study invasive species, especially since compost from these sites are now being used in agricultural practices, thus possibly spreading invasive species propagules to distant locations.
ISSN:1387-3547
1573-1464
DOI:10.1007/s10530-018-1708-1