Evidence of invasion: land use influences the invasion of Urena lobata in the Guinea Savanna ecosystems of Nigeria

Urena lobata, a pan-African weed has been described as a noxious invader which has spread across several countries in the world. Its ability to grow in a variety of habitats has enabled its success as an invader. However, there is a paucity of data on its invasion ecology in relation to land use in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biological invasions 2023-07, Vol.25 (7), p.2175-2184
Main Authors: Akomolafe, Gbenga F., Rosazlina, Rusly
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Developmental Biology
Diversity indices
Ecology
Ecosystems
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Habitats
Indigenous plants
Indigenous species
Land use
Life Sciences
Original Paper
Plant diversity
Plant Sciences
Roadsides
Savannahs
Species diversity
Species richness
Urena lobata
Weeds
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Summary:Urena lobata, a pan-African weed has been described as a noxious invader which has spread across several countries in the world. Its ability to grow in a variety of habitats has enabled its success as an invader. However, there is a paucity of data on its invasion ecology in relation to land use in invaded ranges of Nigeria. In this study, the cover of U. lobata along roadsides and in relation to the land use of adjacent lands in five sites across major cities in Nasarawa State, Nigeria was assessed. Its abundance and impacts on native plant diversity and species richness were investigated. U. lobata was discovered in 74.6% of the sampled sites along the roadsides in Nasarawa State. Land use of the adjacent land had a significant effect on the roadside cover of U. lobata in the study area. The density of U. lobata ranged from 9533 to 17,166 mature individual ha −1 across the State. This plant exhibited a negative impact on native plant diversity by reducing the species richness and diversity indices of the invaded sites. From this study, it is evident that land use plays a significant role in the spread and establishment of U. lobata across the guinea savanna vegetation of Nigeria.
ISSN:1387-3547
1573-1464
DOI:10.1007/s10530-023-03030-6