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Landscape-scale patterns of alien plant species on coastal dunes: the case of iceplant in central Italy
Article first published online: 27 NOV 2009
DOI: 10.1111/j.1654-109X.2009.01065.x
© 2009 International Association for Vegetation Science
Additional Information
How to Cite
Carranza, M. L., Carboni, M., Feola, S. and Acosta, A. T. R. (2010), Landscape-scale patterns of alien plant species on coastal dunes: the case of iceplant in central Italy. Applied Vegetation Science, 13: 135–145. doi: 10.1111/j.1654-109X.2009.01065.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 22 FEB 2010
- Article first published online: 27 NOV 2009
- Received 16 October 2009; Accepted 19 October 2009.
Keywords:
- Between patch boundary;
- Electivity;
- Iceplant (Carpobrotus aff. acinaciformis (L.) L. Bolus);
- Land-cover map;
- Landscape metrics;
- Mediterranean coast;
- Spatial pattern
Abstract
Question: We investigated the spatial pattern of coastal landscapes invaded by iceplant (Carpobrotus aff. acinaciformis) focusing on two questions: (1) Does the spatial structure of iceplant patches differ from that of native natural costal dune cover types?; (2) Is the distribution of iceplant patches related to other cover types?
Location: Tyrrhenian coast of Central Italy.
Method: On the basis of a detailed land-cover map, we calculated structural metrics for iceplant patches and for each native coastal dune cover category (mean patch size and patch shape index) and compared them by means of anova. To assess the spatial association between iceplant patches and the different cover types, we implemented an electivity analysis which analyses the frequency of common borders.
Results: The mapped coastal dune cover types included beaches, dunes and sand plain variants, related to the typical Tyrrhenian coastal dune vegetation zonation. Iceplant-dominated vegetation presented elongated and irregularly shaped patches, which were not significantly different from most of the natural cover types suggesting a natural spread along the territory analysed. Iceplant patches were positively associated with beach, mobile and inter-dune cover types indicating that these habitats are exposed to further alien spread. Iceplant patches were also positively associated with artificial surfaces highlighting this cover type as a possible source of propagule pressure.
Conclusions: The proposed landscape approach combining patch-based metrics with edge-based metrics provided a comprehensive description of the invaded coastal landscape. From an applied research perspective, this landscape approach could be useful in identifying the correct management strategies for alien-invaded areas.