Abstract
This paper examines the effect of an abundant non-native species, Schizachyrium condensatum, on establishment of a later arriving, but very potent invader, Myrica faya, in a seasonally dry forest on the island of Hawaii. Using a replicated removal experiment, we determined that S. condensatum, a perennial C4 grass, reduced recruitment of M. faya, an N-fixing tree species. Recruitment of Myrica was 90% higher in S. condensatum removal plots compared to controls. We believe that because S. condensatum substantially reduces light at the soil surface it reduces germination and early seedling growth of the M. faya.
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D'Antonio, C.M., Mack, M. Exotic Grasses Potentially Slow Invasion of an N-fixing Tree into a Hawaiian Woodland. Biological Invasions 3, 69–73 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011470702428
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011470702428