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The effects on terrestrial arthropod communities of invasion of a coastal heath ecosystem by the exotic weed bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata L.)

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Abstract

Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata) is a major environmental weed of littoral habitats on the southeastern coast of Australia. This study investigates the impacts upon selected arthropod assemblages of habitat invasion by this weed. Sixteen sites were placed at four geographic localities within nature reserves between Forster and Budgewoi on the coast of New South Wales. The sampling design included two spatial scales (between and within localities) and eight repeat samples (taken at two scales of temporal separation). Arthropods were collected from both arboreal and epigaeic micro-habitats. Specimens of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), beetles (Coleoptera), true bugs (Heteroptera) and spiders (Araneae) were identified to species level. Differences in α diversity and species abundance distributions between the taxonomic assemblages are described, along with comparisons of data contrasts between bitou bush-free (“control”) and bitou bush-invaded (“impact”) habitats and between geographic localities. A subsidiary impact associated with herbicide application for control of the weed is also examined. Analysis of environmental differences indicates that bitou bush acts as a dampening agent, reducing the degree of seasonal fluctuation in factors such as leaf litter cover. Arboreal Heteroptera were the only group to show consistent evidence of significant differences in taxon richness or abundance between control and impact treatments within a locality, seen as a disruption of normal seasonal variation in diversity in bitou bush-impacted sites. Significant differences between geographic localities were more common, suggesting an effect at broader spatial scales. Evidence for arthropod assemblages characteristic of specific vegetation types was detected for several groups, as were changes in arthropod assemblage composition following application of herbicide for bitou bush control.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Environmental Research Trust (ref 95/RD/G02). Field sites were selected with the cooperation of the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service and the NSW Department of Agriculture. In particular, the authors would like to acknowledge the efforts of those who participated in the field collection and laboratory sorting. They include: Kim Debbidge, Edith Donald, Michael Elliott, Rebecca Harris, Cate LeMann, Sarah Napoli, Annie Noack, Nicola Saltman, Helen Smith and Melissa Whitfield. Thanks also to Chris Reid, Roger de Keyser and Elizabeth Jeffreys for assisting with quality control of the Coleoptera and Formicidae. Gareth Carter provided invaluable assistance with statistical analysis. Finally, thanks to Dieter Hochuli, Kris French, Paul Downey and two anonymous reviewers for providing valuable comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript.

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  1. Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Research, The Australian Museum, 6 College St., Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia

    Lance Wilkie, Gerasimos Cassis & Michael Gray

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  1. Lance Wilkie
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Correspondence to Lance Wilkie.

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Wilkie, L., Cassis, G. & Gray, M. The effects on terrestrial arthropod communities of invasion of a coastal heath ecosystem by the exotic weed bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata L.). Biol Invasions 9, 477–498 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-006-9055-z

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