research article invasive alien species of terrestrial...

Research ArticleInvasive Alien Species of Terrestrial Vegetation ofNorth-Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Sumit Srivastava Ashish Dvivedi and Ravindra Prasad Shukla

Plant Ecology Laboratory Department of Botany DDU Gorakhpur University Gorakhpur 273009 India

Correspondence should be addressed to Sumit Srivastava srivastava980gmailcom

Received 19 January 2014 Accepted 21 April 2014 Published 12 May 2014

Academic Editor Robin Reich

Copyright copy 2014 Sumit Srivastava et al This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properlycited

The vegetational landscape of north-eastern Terai region at the foot hills of Central Himalayas is a mosaic of grassland old-fieldwasteland and forest ecosystems Like many other parts of the country this region is also infested with alien intruders which notonly interferewith the growth and production of food crops but also exercise adverse effects on the biodiversity of native speciesThepresent study attempts to catalogue the invasive alien species of the terrestrial vegetation of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh especiallywith reference to their habit taxonomic position and nativity A total of 1135 plant species within 580 genera under 119 families areso far known to occur in the region Of these only 149 species within 100 genera under 41 families have been found to be invasivealiens as evident from their center of origin past history nature of aggregation and invasion observed under field conditions About80 of these invaders have been introduced from neotropics Out of 173 invasive plants across India this region shares 149 speciesout of which 66 of species have come from Tropical America 14 from African continent and the rest from other countriesA better planning in the form of early identification and reporting of infestation and spread of noxious weeds is needed for theircontrol

1 Introduction

Invasion of alien plant species in recent times has been rec-ognized as the second worst threat after habitat destruction[1] The International Union for Conservation of Nature andNatural Resources (IUCN) defines ldquoalien invasive speciesrdquoas an alien species which becomes established in naturalor seminatural ecosystems or habitat as agent of changeand threatens native biological diversity Identifying theprocesses that determine the distribution and diversity ofexotic species is a major area of research in ecology becauseexotics impose significant economic social and environmen-tal costs including human health [2] Biological invasionmay be considered as a form of biological pollution andthe significant component of anthropogenic changes leadingto extinction of native species The ecological approachto plant invasion has been mostly based on (a) biologicaland ecological features promoting the invasion success ofparticular species [3 4] and (b) the character and invasibilityof invaded communities [5] Recently both approaches are

treated as complementary [6 7] The phytogeographicaland floristic approaches are important for research on alienplants [8] A number of workers have studied and providedcatalogues of the invasive alien plant species in differentparts of the world [9ndash12] Establishment of a database ofnaturalized species is the first step in the development of inva-sion biology A naturalized species is an introduced speciesthat can consistently reproduce and sustain population overmany generations without direct intervention by humans[13 14] After successful establishment fewnaturalized speciesdisperse and produce viable offsprings in areas far fromthe sites of their introduction Such naturalized species arethen called invasive It is estimated that as many as 50 ofinvasive species in general can be classified as ecologicallyharmful [13]

Due to increasing trade and transcontinental transportthe floras of Indian subcontinent have a number of alienspecies from various parts of the world as evident fromthe studies made at different parts in India namely UpperGangetic Plain [15 16] Khandwa Plateau [17] Kodaikanal

Hindawi Publishing CorporationInternational Journal of Forestry ResearchVolume 2014 Article ID 959875 9 pageshttpdxdoiorg1011552014959875

2 International Journal of Forestry Research

and Palani Hills [18] Kashmir Himalaya [19 20] Ranchi [21]Gangtok [22] Allahabad [23] Rajasthan [24] South Gujarat[25] and Doon Valley [26] This paper presents observationson the habit and nativity of invaders of north-eastern UttarPradesh and their impact on the diversity of native plants

2 The Site Climate and Vegetation

The study was conducted in the Terai landscape of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh This area is characterized by eventopography and fine alluvial deposits from Rapti and Gandakrivers Mean altitude of the study area is 95m amsl Theregion slopes gently from north-west to south-east direc-tion Administratively the study area (sim10000 km2 27∘51015840to 27∘401015840N latitude and 83∘301015840 to 84∘E longitude) falls inGorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh state It is bounded byNepal in the north and Bihar state of India in the eastThe landscape comprises a mosaic of human habitationsagricultural fields grasslands commercial plantations andforestsThe climate is typically monsoonic with three distinctseasons namely summer (March to mid-June) rainy (mid-June to mid-October) and winter (mid-October to Febru-ary)The total average annual rainfall is about 1814mm about87 of annual rainfall is received during warm rainy seasonand the rest 13 is distributed in the form of occasionalshowers from November to May Relative humidity rangesbetween 74 and 87 The mean maximum temperaturesduringwet summer winter and dry summer season are 352∘27∘ and 24ndash39∘Candmeanminimum temperatures are 262∘121∘ and 242∘C respectively (based on climatic data for2000ndash2005) The soil of the region is classified as Gangeticalluvium ranging from clayey to sandy loam in texture withpH ranging from 65 to 75 In the northern area there area few elevated mounds locally called dhus which range insize from a few hundred meters to 4-5 km and have brownsandy soil

3 Data Sources and Methods

Over the period between 1960 and 2013 a comprehen-sive list of invasive alien plant species of north-easternUttar Pradesh was made The truly aquatic plants wereavoided but marshy plants were considered as compo-nent of terrestrial vegetation Several extensive reviewson invasive plant species are available [12 27ndash33] Thewebsite httpwwwiswsininvasive-plants-of-indiaphp [34]was also searched for information on the origin and nativityof these invaders Some information pertaining to the nativityof the species in India has been extracted from 18 21ndash24 and36ndash40

Invasive alien species occurring in this region were com-piled based on the literature survey field observation anddis-cussion with local people They were divided into three cat-egories naturalized interfering and noxious Self-replacingplant populations by recruitment through seedsramets andcapable of independent growth were categorized as natu-ralized Alien and native plants which impacted agricultureadversely especially on the disturbed sites were taken as

noxious The adverse impact of noxious species was inthe form of competition for space with tillage or foragecrops and harbouring of pests or disease vectors harmfulto cropsnative species In addition to efficient vegetativemode of propagation the seeds of these species are mostlywind-distributed and may remain viable for several yearsThe species which were neither injurious nor noxious butcaused profuse interference and hindrance to the growth ofcropnative species over a large area by virtue of their vastnumbers were taken as interfering

4 Results

A total of 149 species of invasive aliens of the terrestrialvegetation of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh have been docu-mentedThese 149 alien species belonged to 100 genera under41 families The alien species amounted to 131 of 1135 wildterrestrial plant species of the region The habit nativityand the impact of invasive species on forest grasslandand agricultural communities were noticed to prepare acatalogue of invasive alienexotic plant species (Table 1) 100aliens have their origin in Tropical America compared to21 species in African continent About 28 species of alienplants reached the study area from such far off places asAfghanistan Australia Brazil East Indies Europe Mada-gascar Mascarene Islands Mediterranean Mexico PeruTemperate South America Tropical West Asia West Indiesand Western Europe

The herbaceous elements predominated the regionalalien flora The number of dicot alien species was 136under 93 genera and 32 families On the other handthere were only 13 species of monocot aliens distributedamong 9 genera under 5 families (Amaryllidaceae Are-caceae Cyperaceae Liliaceae and Poaceae) Of 41 familieshaving alien species Asteraceae was the most dominant (29species) followed by Convolvulaceae (11) Amaranthaceaeand Solanaceae (9 species each) Euphorbiaceae (8) Cae-salpiniaceae and Papilionaceae (7 each) Poaceae (6) Cap-paridaceae Cyperaceae Tiliaceae and Verbenaceae (4 each)Asclepiadaceae Chenopodiaceae Lamiaceae MalvaceaeMimosaceae and Onagraceae (3 each) Acanthaceae Oxali-daceae Papaveraceae Pedaliaceae Portulacaceae and Scro-phulariaceae (2 each) and Amaryllidaceae ApocynaceaeArecaceae Brassicaceae Cannabaceae Cuscutaceae Cac-taceae Liliaceae Polygonaceae Primulaceae PassifloraceaePiperaceae Rosaceae Sterculiaceae Ulmaceae Urticaceaeand Zygophyllaceae (1 species each) Of these aliens 15species were judged as noxious 43 species as interferingand 91 as naturalized species (Figure 1) Habit wise analy-sis shows that 80 of species are herbs 12 are shrubs6 are herbaceous climbers and 2 are trees (Figure 2)The eight dominant families contributed 47 of the invasivealien flora of wild terrestrial vegetation of north-easternUttarPradesh (Figure 3)

5 Discussion

Alien species are nonnative or exotic organisms that occuroutside their natural adapted ranges and dispersal potential

International Journal of Forestry Research 3

Table 1 Wild invasive plant species in terrestrial vegetation of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh

S No Name of the Species Family Habit Nativity Categories1 Acacia farnesiana (L) Willd Mimosaceae Tree Tropical South America Naturalized2 Acanthospermum hispidum DC Asteraceae Herb Brazil Naturalized3 Aerva tomentosa Amaranthaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized4 Ageratum conyzoides L Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Noxious5 Ageratum houstonianumMill Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Interfering6 Alternanthera paronychioides A St Hill Amaranthaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized7 Alternanthera pungens Kunth Amaranthaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized8 Alternanthera sessilis (L) R Br ex DC Amaranthaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized9 Amaranthus spinosus L Amaranthaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized10 Anagallis arvensis L Primulaceae Herb Europe Naturalized11 Antigonon leptopusHook and Arn Polygonaceae climber Tropical America Noxious12 Argemone mexicana L Papaveraceae Herb Tropical South America Noxious13 Argemone ochroleuca Sweet Papaveraceae Herb Mexico Interfering14 Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav Liliaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized15 Blainvillea acmella (L) Philipson Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Interfering16 Blumea eriantha DC Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Interfering17 Blumea lacera (Burm f) DC Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Interfering18 Blumea obliqua (L) Druce Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Interfering19 Borassus flabellifer L Arecaceae Tree Tropical Africa Naturalized20 Calotropis gigantea (L) R Br Asclepiadaceae Shrub Tropical Africa Interfering21 Calotropis procera (Ait) R Br Asclepiadaceae Shrub Tropical Africa Interfering22 Cannabis sativa L Cannabaceae Herb Central Asia Interfering23 Cassia absus L Caesalpiniaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized24 Cassia alata L Caesalpiniaceae Shrub West Indies Naturalized25 Cassia hirsute L Caesalpiniaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized26 Cassia obtusifolia L Caesalpiniaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized27 Cassia occidentalis L Caesalpiniaceae Herb Tropical South America Naturalized28 Cassia pumila Lam Caesalpiniaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized29 Cassia tora L Caesalpiniaceae Herb Tropical South America Noxious30 Celosia argentea L Amaranthaceae Herb Tropical Africa Naturalized31 Chenopodium album L Chenopodiaceae Herb Europe Interfering32 Chenopodium ambrosioides L Chenopodiaceae Herb Tropical America Interfering33 Chenopodium murale L Chenopodiaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized34 Chloris barbata Sw Poaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized35 Chrozophora rottleri (Geis) Spring Euphorbiaceae Herb Tropical Africa Naturalized36 Cleome burmanni Capparidaceae Herb West Africa Naturalized37 Cleome gynandra L Capparidaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized38 Cleome rutidosperma DC Capparidaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized39 Cleome viscosa L Capparidaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized40 Clerodendrum splendens G Don Verbenaceae Climber Africa Interfering41 Convolvulus arvensis L Convolvulaceae Herb Europe Naturalized42 Corchorus aestuans L Tiliaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized43 Corchorus fascicularis Lam Tiliaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized44 Corchorus olitorius L Tiliaceae Herb Tropical Africa Naturalized45 Coronopus didymus (L) Smith Brassicaceae Herb Tropical America Interfering46 Crotalaria mucronataAit Papilionaceae Herb Tropical America Interfering47 Croton bonplandianum Boil Euphorbiaceae Herb Temperate South America Naturalized48 Cryptostegia grandiflora R Br Asclepiadaceae Herb Madagascar Interfering


Table 1 Continued

S No Name of the Species Family Habit Nativity Categories49 Cuscuta reflexa Roxb Cuscutaceae Herb Mediterranean Interfering50 Cynodon dactylon (Linn) Pers Poaceae Herb Africa Naturalized51 Cyperus difformis L Cyperaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized52 Cyperus flabelliformis Rottb Cyperaceae Herb Africa Interfering53 Cyperus iria L Cyperaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized54 Cyperus cyperoides L Cyperaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized55 Datura innoxiaMill Solanaceae Shrub Tropical America Noxious56 Datura metel L Solanaceae Shrub Tropical America Interfering57 Datura stramonium L Solanaceae Shrub Tropical America Noxious58 Digera muricata (L) Mart Amaranthaceae Herb South-West Asia Interfering59 Duranta repens Linn Verbenaceae Shrub America Naturalized60 Echinochloa colonum (L) Link Poaceae Herb Tropical South America Naturalized61 Echinochloa crus-galli (L) Beauv Poaceae Herb Tropical South America Noxious62 Echinops echinatus Roxb Asteraceae Herb Afghanistan Naturalized63 Eclipta prostrata (L) Mart Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized64 Emilia sonchifolia (L) DC Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized65 Erigeron bonariensis L Asteraceae Herb South America Interfering66 Eupatorium adenophorum Sprengel Asteraceae Shrub Mexico Noxious67 Eupatorium odoratum L Asteraceae Shrub Tropical America Interfering68 Euphorbia chamaesyce L Euphorbiaceae Herb West Africa amp Mauritius Naturalized69 Euphorbia hirta L Euphorbiaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized70 Euphorbia heterophylla L Euphorbiaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized71 Evolvulus nummularius (L) L Convolvulaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized72 Flaveria trinervia (Spreng) C Mohar Asteraceae Herb Tropical Cent America Naturalized73 Galinsoga parviflora Cav Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized74 Glossocardia bosvallia (L f) DC Asteraceae Herb West Indies Naturalized75 Gnaphalium polycaulon Pers Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Interfering76 Gomphrena celosioidesMart Amaranthaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized77 Gomphrena globosa Linn Amaranthaceae Herb America Naturalized78 Grangea maderaspatana (L) Poir Asteraceae Herb Tropical South America Naturalized79 Hyptis suaveolens (L) Poit Lamiaceae Herb Tropical America Interfering80 Imperata cylindrica (L) Raensch Poaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized81 Indigofera glandulosa Roxb Ex Willd Papilionaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized82 Indigofera hirsutaHook Papilionaceae Herb Tropical Africa Naturalized83 Indigofera linearis Ali Papilionaceae Herb Tropical Africa Naturalized84 Indigofera linifolia (L f) Retz Papilionaceae Herb Tropical South America Naturalized85 Ipomoea eriocarpa R Br Convolvulaceae Climber Tropical Africa Interfering86 Ipomoea fistulosaMart DC Convolvulaceae Shrub Tropical America Interfering87 Ipomoea muricata L Convolvulaceae Climber Tropical America Naturalized88 Ipomoea nil (L) Roth Convolvulaceae Climber North America Naturalized89 Ipomoea obscura (L) Ker Gawl Convolvulaceae Climber Tropical Africa Interfering90 Ipomoea pes-tigridis L Convolvulaceae Climber Tropical East Africa Interfering91 Ipomoea purpurea (Linn) Roth Convolvulaceae Herb America Interfering92 Ipomoea quamoclit L Convolvulaceae Climber Tropical America Interfering93 Jatropha curcas Euphorbiaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized94 Jatropha gossypifolia L Euphorbiaceae Shrub Brazil Naturalized95 Lagascea mollis Cav Asteraceae Herb Tropical Cent America Noxious96 Lantana camara L Verbenaceae Shrub Tropical America Noxious97 Leonotis nepetifolia (L) R Br Lamiaceae Herb Tropical Africa Interfering


Table 1 Continued

S No Name of the Species Family Habit Nativity Categories98 Leucaena leucocephala (Lam) de Wit Mimosaceae Herb Tropical America Noxious99 Lippia alba Verbenaceae Herb Trop America ampWest Indies Interfering100 Ludwigia adscendens (L) Hara Onagraceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized101 Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq) Raven Onagraceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized102 Ludwigia parviflora Roxb Onagraceae Herb Tropical Africa Naturalized103 Malvastrum coromandelianum (L) Gar Malvaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized104 Martynia annua L Pedaliaceae Herb Tropical America Interfering105 Mecardonia procumbens (Mill) Small Scrophulariaceae Herb Tropical North America Naturalized106 Melilotus alba Desv Papilionaceae Herb Europe Naturalized107 Melochia corchorifolia L Sterculiaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized108 Merremia dissecta (Jacq) Hallier f Convolvulaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized109 Mikania micrantha Kunth Asteraceae Climber Tropical America Noxious110 Mimosa pudica L Mimosaceae Herb Brazil Naturalized111 Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Viv Solanaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized112 Ocimum americanum L Lamiaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized113 Opuntia elatior Mill Cactaceae Herb Tropical America Noxious114 Oxalis corniculata L Oxalidaceae Herb Europe Naturalized115 Oxalis corymbosa DC Oxalidaceae Herb South America Naturalized116 Parthenium hysterophorus L Asteraceae Herb Tropical North America Noxious117 Passiflora foetida L Passifloraceae Herb Tropical South America Interfering118 Pedalium murex L Pedaliaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized119 Peperomia pellucida (L) Kunth Piperaceae Herb Tropical South America Naturalized120 Peristrophe paniculata (Forsk) Brummitt Acanthaceae Herb Tropical America Interfering121 Physalis minima L Solanaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized122 Physalis peruviana L Solanaceae Herb Tropical America Interfering123 Pilea microphylla Urticaceae Herb Tropical South America Naturalized124 Portulaca oleracea L Portulacaceae Herb Tropical S America Naturalized125 Portulaca quadrifida L Portulacaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized126 Rauvolfia tetraphylla Apocynaceae Herb West Indies Naturalized127 Ricinus communis Linn Euphorbiaceae Shrub Africa Interfering128 Rubus ellipticus Smith Rosaceae Shrub Tropical America Naturalized129 Ruellia tuberosa L Acanthaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized130 Saccharum spontaneum L Poaceae Herb Tropical West Asia Interfering131 Scoparia dulcis L Scrophulariaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized132 Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq) W F Wight Papilionaceae Shrub Tropical America Naturalized133 Sida acuta Burm f Malvaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized134 Solanum khasianum Solanaceae Herb Tropical America Interfering135 Solanum nigrum L Solanaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized136 Solanum torvum Sw Solanaceae Shrub West Indies Interfering137 Solvia anthemifolia (Juss) R Asteraceae Herb America Interfering138 Sonchus asper Hill Asteraceae Herb Mediterranean Interfering139 Sonchus oleraceus L Asteraceae Herb Mediterranean Interfering140 Synedrella nodiflora (L) Gaertn Asteraceae Herb West Indies Naturalized141 Tithonia diversifolia (Hense) A Gray Asteraceae Shrub Mexico Naturalized142 Trema orientalis L Ulmaceae Tree Africa Naturalized143 Tribulus terrestris L Zygophyllaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized144 Tridax procumbens L Asteraceae Herb Tropical Cent America Naturalized


Table 1 Continued

S No Name of the Species Family Habit Nativity Categories145 Triumfetta rhomboidea Jacq Tiliaceae Herb Tropical America Naturalized146 Urena lobata L Malvaceae Shrub Tropical Africa Interfering147 Xanthium strumarium L Asteraceae Herb Tropical America Noxious148 Youngia japonica (L) DC Asteraceae Herb Tropical South America Naturalized149 Zephyranthes candida Lindl Amaryllidaceae Herb America Naturalized

195

74

6 654

47 474

25

20

15

10

5

0

Spec

ies (

)

Aste

race

ae

Con

volv

ulac

eae

Am

aran

thac

eae

Sola

nace

ae

Euph

orbi

acea

e

Caes

alpi

niac

eae

Poac

eae

Papi

liona

ceae

Figure 1 Families accounting for gt5 speciesinvasive in the terres-trial vegetation of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh

80

6

122

HerbsClimbers

ShrubsTrees

Figure 2 Number () of plant invasive species under differenthabit categories within terrestrial vegetation of north-eastern UttarPradesh

[35]These invasive species are widely distributed in all kindsof ecosystems throughout theworld and include all categoriesof living organisms Nevertheless plants mammals andinsects comprise the most common types of invasive alienspecies in terrestrial environments [36] Many alien plantspecies support our farming and forestry systems in a big

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Noxious Interfering Naturalized

Num

ber o

f inv

asiv

e spe

cies

Categories of invasive species

Figure 3 Species number under three different categories ofinvasive plants

way However some of these aliens become invasive whenthey are introduced deliberately or unintentionally outsidetheir natural habitats into new areas where they express thecapability to establish invade and outcompete native species[37] An important requirement for successful colonization ofinvaders is open habitat with reduced competition Generallythe microsites created by grazingmay be occupied by invaderspecies [38ndash40] The invaders usually dominate the highlydisturbed and man-made landscapes So far no ready handcatalogue of invasive species is available for this region Thepresent catalogue of invasive exotic species is likely to serveas basic information for future research towards conservationof native plant species of the region

As evident from the data the vegetation of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh shows greater incidence of invaders ascompared to the whole of Uttar Pradesh [41] and India [42]Reddy documented all invasive plant species irrespective oftheir habitat and use In the present case however onlythe wild invasive plant species of terrestrial vegetation wereconsidered and truly aquatic and ornamental invasive specieswere excluded Many species recorded as invader of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh are common to Indian Himalayanregion and the whole of Uttar Pradesh For example 103invaders are common to the whole of the state of Uttar


Pradesh [41] and 95 species to thewhole of India [42] Amongthe invasive species of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh 705are native to American continent Other such studies varyslightly in percent share of tropical American nativity WhileSingh et al [41] reported 73of invasive plant species ofUttarPradesh for Indian Himalayan region however Sekar [43]also noticed 73 invaders of American nativity Reddy [42]noticed 58 of the invasive flora of India to be natives ofAmerican continent

Alien species have been classified into naturalized andnoxious species by various workers [13 44 45] Our fieldobservation and discussion with local people indicate thatthere are 15most noxious invasive plant species in this regionnamely Ageratum conyzoides Antigonon leptopus Argemonemexicana Cassia tora Datura stramonium Datura innoxiaEchinochloa crus-galli Eupatorium adenophorum Lantanacamara Lagascea mollis Leucaena leucocephala Mikaniamicrantha Parthenium hysterophorus Opuntia elatior andXanthium strumarium Some species such as Ageratumconyzoides Eupatorium adenophorum Lantana camara andParthenium hysterophorus are harmful to native species [4146 47] Further some of these species are known to be highlyallergic causing diseases in human beings [48 49] Since theyare rarely palatable their dominance drastically reduces thenumber of grazers by way of reducing the carrying capacityof the pasture andwasteland [40]Datura innoxia andDaturastramonium are serious threat to the native species of theregion and are known to cause delay in seedling growthof neighbouring plants [50] Leucaena leucocephala altersthe natural growth of native plants because not only itobstructs plenty of sunlight to reach surface layer but alsoits allelopathic exudates cause retardation in seedling growthof neighbouring plants [51] Mikania micrantha could climbtrees and cover the whole habitats through fast vegetativepropagation and could also suppress the growth of cropsand natural vegetation through competition and allelopathiceffects [45] These species occur as invasive species undershifting agriculture in north-eastern Uttar Pradesh andcombine an effective seed based reproduction with clonalpropagation [52] Many invasive species such as speciesof Eupatorium tend to respond to temporarily nutrient-enriched soil substrata and grow and quickly cover the gapsin disturbed forests They can destroy arable soil negativelyaffect the growth of orchard and could also supplant grassesin pasture excreting a toxic volatile that prevents grazing[48]

The herbaceous invasive plant species were recordedas the dominant invasive flora (80) of north-east UttarPradesh in the form of 119 invasive species The greaterviability and tolerance to harsh conditions could result in thepreponderance of herbs across the region Invasive speciesof Asteraceae exhibited a much higher reproductive capacitythan those of other families This high reproductive potentialis achieved by partitioning of reproductive capital into alarge number of propagules that are minute light and winddispersed [53] Various other workers have also reported thedominance of Asteraceae among invasive alien species inUttar Pradesh [41] and in Indian Himalayan region [43]

The invasive species cause loss of biodiversity throughspecies extinction and their impact on ecosystem functionDifferences between native and invasive plant species in theirresource acquisition and consumptionmay cause a change insoil structure decomposition andnutrient content of the soilThus invasive species are a serious hindrance to conserva-tion with significant undesirable impacts on the goods andservices provided by ecosystems Biological invasions nowoperate on a global scale and are likely to undergo rapidincrease in this century due to interaction with other changessuch as increasing travel and tourism A quick monitoring ofinvasion can therefore be done through qualitative approachlike species inventory method

6 Conclusion

Plant invasions in the new areas alter indigenous communitycomposition deplete species diversity affect ecosystem pro-cess and thus cause huge economic and ecological imbalanceA quick inventory and plant identification network aretherefore needed for early detection and reporting of noxiousand naturalized weeds in order to control the spread ofinvasive plant species

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interestsregarding the publication of this paper

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Head Department of BotanyDDU Gorakhpur University Gorakhpur for providingaccess to departmental herbarium and other required facili-tiesThey also feel grateful to the anonymous reviewer for hiscritical comments and suggestions to improve the quality andclarity of the content and to Dr Robin Reich for very quickresponse

References

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[2] D S Wilcove D Rothstein J Dubow A Phillips and ELosos ldquoQuantifying threats to imperiled species in the U SrdquoBioScience vol 48 no 8 pp 607ndash615 1998

[3] A E Newsome and I R Noble ldquoEcological and physiologicalcharacters of invading speciesrdquo in Ecology of Biological Inva-sions An Australian Perspective R H Groves and J J BurdonEds pp 1ndash20 Australian Academy of Sciences CanberraAustralia 1986

[4] M Rejmanek ldquoWhat makes a species invasiverdquo in Plant Inva-sions General Aspects and Special Problems P Pysek K PrachM Rejmanek and M Wade Eds pp 3ndash13 SPB AcademicAmsterdam The Netherlands 1995

[5] M Rejmanek ldquoInvasibility of plant communitiesrdquo in BiologicalInvasions A Global Perspective J A Drake H A Mooney F di


Castri et al Eds pp 369ndash388 John Wiley amp Sons ChichesterUK 1989

[6] D M Lodge ldquoBiological invasions lessons for ecologyrdquo Trendsin Ecology and Evolution vol 8 no 4 pp 133ndash137 1993

[7] R J Hobbs and L F Huenneke ldquoDisturbance diversity andinvasion implications for conservationrdquo Conservation Biologyvol 6 no 3 pp 324ndash337 1992

[8] J A McNeely H A Mooney L E Neville P Schei andJ K Waage ldquoA global strategy on invasive Alien speciesrdquoin Collaboration With the Global Invasive Species ProgrammeIUCN Gland Switzerland 2001

[9] J A Drake H AMooney F di Castri et alBiological InvasionsA Global Perspective John Wiley amp Sons New York NY USA1989

[10] M Williamson Biological Invasions Chapman amp Hall NewYork NY USA 1996

[11] J R Carey P Moyle M Rejmanek and G Vermeij ldquoInvasionbiologyrdquo Biological Conservation vol 78 pp 1ndash214 1996

[12] P Pysek M Chytry J Pergll J Sadloland and J Wild ldquoPlantinvasions in the Czech Republic current state introductiondynamics invasive species and invaded habitatsrdquo Preslia vol84 pp 575ndash629 2012

[13] D M Richardson P Pysek M Rejmanek M G Barbour FDane Panetta and C J West ldquoNaturalization and invasion ofAlien plants concepts and definitionsrdquo Diversity and Distribu-tions vol 6 no 2 pp 93ndash107 2000

[14] P Pysek J Sadlo and B Mandak ldquoCatalogue of Alien plants ofthe Czech Republicrdquo Preslia vol 74 no 2 pp 97ndash186 2002

[15] M B Raizada ldquoRecently introduced or otherwise imperfectlyknown plants from the upper gangetic plainrdquo Journal of IndianBotanical Society vol 14 pp 339ndash348 1935


[17] J K Maheshwari ldquoStudies on the naturalized Flora of Indiardquo inProceedings of the Summer School of Botany pp 156ndash170 NewDelhi India

[18] K M Matthew ldquoAlien flora of Kodai Kanal and Palni HillsrdquoRecords of Botanical Survey of India vol 20 pp 1ndash241 1969

[19] G Singh and B Misri ldquoSome exotic ornamentals of KashmirrdquoIndian Journal of Horticulture vol 31 p 834 1974

[20] G Singh and P Kachroo ldquoExotic trees and shrubs of KashmirrdquoIndian Forester vol 109 pp 60ndash76 1983

[21] J K Maheswari and S R Paul ldquoThe Alien flora of RanchirdquoJournal of the Bombay Natural History Society vol 72 pp 158ndash188 1975

[22] P K Hajra and B K Das ldquoVegetation of gangtok with specialreference to Alien plantsrdquo India Forums vol 107 pp 554ndash5661982

[23] B D Sharma Exotic Flora of Allahabad Botanical Survey ofIndia Dehra Dun India 1984

[24] R P Pandey and P J Parmar ldquoThe exotic flora of RajasthanrdquoJournal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany vol 18 pp 105ndash1211994

[25] S R Kshirsagar ldquoOrigin present status and distribution ofexotic plants in South Gujaratrdquo Indian Journal of Forestry vol28 pp 136ndash143 2005

[26] P S Negi and P K Hajra ldquoAlien flora of DoonValley NorthwestHimalayardquo Current Science vol 92 no 7 pp 968ndash978 2007

[27] H A Mooney and J A Drake ldquoThe ecology of biologicalinvasionsrdquo Environment vol 29 no 5 pp 10ndash37 1987

[28] C M DrsquoAntonio and P M Vitousek ldquoBiological invasions byexotic grasses the grassfire cycle and global changerdquo AnnualReview of Ecology and Systematics vol 23 no 1 pp 63ndash87 1992

[29] P T Jenkins ldquoTrade and exotic species introductionsrdquo inInvasive Species and Biodiversity Management O T Sandlundand P Schei Eds pp 229ndash235 Kluwer Academic DodrechtThe Netherlands 1999

[30] H A Mooney and R J Hobbs Invasive Species in a ChangingWorld Island Press Washington DC USA 2000

[31] C S Elton The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and PlantsUniversity of Chicago Press Chicago Ill USA 2000

[32] R Cowie ldquoDoes the Public care about Species loss A Glimpseinto the Publicrsquos thinkingrdquoConservation Biology in Practice vol2 pp 28ndash29 2001

[33] E Wasson Complete Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs Descrip-tions Cultivation Requirements Pruning PlantingThunder BayPress San Diego Calif USA 2003

[34] C S Reddy G Bagyanarayana K N Reddy andV S Raju ldquoInvasive Alien Flora of Indiardquo NationalBiological Information Infrastructure USGS USA 2008httpwwwiswsininvasive-plants-of-indiaphp

[35] M A McGeoch S H M Butchart D Spear et al ldquoGlobalindicators of biological invasion species numbers biodiversityimpact and policy responsesrdquo Diversity and Distributions vol16 no 1 pp 95ndash108 2010

[36] A S Raghubanshi L C Rai J P Gaur and J S Singh ldquoInvasiveAlien species and biodiversity in IndiardquoCurrent Science vol 88no 4 pp 539ndash540 2005

[37] Y H Sujay H N Sattagi and R K Patil ldquoInvasive Alieninsects and their impact on agroecosystemrdquo Karnataka Journalof Agricultural Sciences vol 23 pp 26ndash34 2010

[38] P Singh ldquoLantana Weed and Lantana Lace bugrdquo IndianForester vol 102 pp 474ndash478 1976

[39] P M Sinha ldquoStudies on the use of someWeedicides on Lantanacamarardquo Indian Forester vol 102 pp 298ndash305 1976

[40] V B Sawarker ldquoLantana camara on wildlife habitats withspecial reference to the melaghat tiger reserverdquo Cheetal vol 26pp 24ndash38 1984

[41] K P Singh A N Shukla and J S Singh ldquoState-level inventoryof invasive Alien plants their source regions and use potentialrdquoCurrent Science vol 99 no 1 pp 107ndash114 2010

[42] C S Reddy ldquoCatalogue of invasive Alien flora of Indiardquo LifeScience Journal vol 5 no 2 pp 84ndash89 2008

[43] K C Sekar ldquoInvasive Alien plants of Indian Himalayanregionmdashdiversity and implicationrdquo American Journal of PlantScience vol 3 pp 177ndash184 2012

[44] S H Wu C F Hsieh and M Rejmanek ldquoCatalogue of thenaturalized flora of Taiwanrdquo Taiwania vol 49 pp 16ndash31 2004

[45] Q Q Huang J M Wu Y Y Bai L Zhou and G X WangldquoIdentifying the most noxious invasive plants in China roleof geographical origin life form and means of introductionrdquoBiodiversity and Conservation vol 18 no 2 pp 305ndash316 2009

[46] S Tripathi and R P Shukla ldquoEffect of clipping and grazing onvarious vegetational parameters of grassland communities ofGorakhpur Uttar Pradeshrdquo Tropical Ecology vol 48 no 1 pp61ndash70 2007

[47] K S Dogra R K Kohli and S K Sood ldquoAn assessmentand impact of three invasive species in the Sivalik Hills of


Himanchal Pradesh Indiardquo International Journal of BiodiversityConservation vol 1 pp 4ndash10 2009

[48] K G Saxena ldquoBiological invasion in the Indian sub-continentreview of invasion by plantsrdquo in Ecology of Biological Invasionin the Tropics P S Ramakrishnan Ed pp 53ndash73 InternationalScientific Publications New Delhi India 1991

[49] S Tripathi Plant diversity of grassland of north-eastern UP withemphasis on population of Parthenium hysterophorus L [PhDthesis] Gorakhpur University Gorakhpur India 1999

[50] S K Sood S Kumar K S Dogra and R Sharma ldquoAlien plantsdistribution and ecology in the temple-courtyards of HimachalPradesh North-West Himalayardquo Himachal Pradesh UniversityJournal pp 1ndash11 2011

[51] C H Chou ldquoAllelopathic researches in the subtropical vegeta-tion in Taiwanrdquo Comparative Physiology and Ecology vol 5 pp222ndash234 1980

[52] P S Ramakrishnan Ecology of Biological Invasions in theTropics International Scientific New Delhi India 1991

[53] K G Saxena and P S Ramakrishnan ldquoPartitioning of biomassand nutrients in the secondary successional herbaceous popu-lation subsequent to Slash and Burnrdquo Proceedingsrsquoof the IndianNational Science Academy vol 8 pp 807ndash818 1982

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

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Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

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ClimatologyJournal of


and Palani Hills [18] Kashmir Himalaya [19 20] Ranchi [21]Gangtok [22] Allahabad [23] Rajasthan [24] South Gujarat[25] and Doon Valley [26] This paper presents observationson the habit and nativity of invaders of north-eastern UttarPradesh and their impact on the diversity of native plants

2 The Site Climate and Vegetation

The study was conducted in the Terai landscape of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh This area is characterized by eventopography and fine alluvial deposits from Rapti and Gandakrivers Mean altitude of the study area is 95m amsl Theregion slopes gently from north-west to south-east direc-tion Administratively the study area (sim10000 km2 27∘51015840to 27∘401015840N latitude and 83∘301015840 to 84∘E longitude) falls inGorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh state It is bounded byNepal in the north and Bihar state of India in the eastThe landscape comprises a mosaic of human habitationsagricultural fields grasslands commercial plantations andforestsThe climate is typically monsoonic with three distinctseasons namely summer (March to mid-June) rainy (mid-June to mid-October) and winter (mid-October to Febru-ary)The total average annual rainfall is about 1814mm about87 of annual rainfall is received during warm rainy seasonand the rest 13 is distributed in the form of occasionalshowers from November to May Relative humidity rangesbetween 74 and 87 The mean maximum temperaturesduringwet summer winter and dry summer season are 352∘27∘ and 24ndash39∘Candmeanminimum temperatures are 262∘121∘ and 242∘C respectively (based on climatic data for2000ndash2005) The soil of the region is classified as Gangeticalluvium ranging from clayey to sandy loam in texture withpH ranging from 65 to 75 In the northern area there area few elevated mounds locally called dhus which range insize from a few hundred meters to 4-5 km and have brownsandy soil

3 Data Sources and Methods

Over the period between 1960 and 2013 a comprehen-sive list of invasive alien plant species of north-easternUttar Pradesh was made The truly aquatic plants wereavoided but marshy plants were considered as compo-nent of terrestrial vegetation Several extensive reviewson invasive plant species are available [12 27ndash33] Thewebsite httpwwwiswsininvasive-plants-of-indiaphp [34]was also searched for information on the origin and nativityof these invaders Some information pertaining to the nativityof the species in India has been extracted from 18 21ndash24 and36ndash40

Invasive alien species occurring in this region were com-piled based on the literature survey field observation anddis-cussion with local people They were divided into three cat-egories naturalized interfering and noxious Self-replacingplant populations by recruitment through seedsramets andcapable of independent growth were categorized as natu-ralized Alien and native plants which impacted agricultureadversely especially on the disturbed sites were taken as

noxious The adverse impact of noxious species was inthe form of competition for space with tillage or foragecrops and harbouring of pests or disease vectors harmfulto cropsnative species In addition to efficient vegetativemode of propagation the seeds of these species are mostlywind-distributed and may remain viable for several yearsThe species which were neither injurious nor noxious butcaused profuse interference and hindrance to the growth ofcropnative species over a large area by virtue of their vastnumbers were taken as interfering

4 Results

A total of 149 species of invasive aliens of the terrestrialvegetation of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh have been docu-mentedThese 149 alien species belonged to 100 genera under41 families The alien species amounted to 131 of 1135 wildterrestrial plant species of the region The habit nativityand the impact of invasive species on forest grasslandand agricultural communities were noticed to prepare acatalogue of invasive alienexotic plant species (Table 1) 100aliens have their origin in Tropical America compared to21 species in African continent About 28 species of alienplants reached the study area from such far off places asAfghanistan Australia Brazil East Indies Europe Mada-gascar Mascarene Islands Mediterranean Mexico PeruTemperate South America Tropical West Asia West Indiesand Western Europe

The herbaceous elements predominated the regionalalien flora The number of dicot alien species was 136under 93 genera and 32 families On the other handthere were only 13 species of monocot aliens distributedamong 9 genera under 5 families (Amaryllidaceae Are-caceae Cyperaceae Liliaceae and Poaceae) Of 41 familieshaving alien species Asteraceae was the most dominant (29species) followed by Convolvulaceae (11) Amaranthaceaeand Solanaceae (9 species each) Euphorbiaceae (8) Cae-salpiniaceae and Papilionaceae (7 each) Poaceae (6) Cap-paridaceae Cyperaceae Tiliaceae and Verbenaceae (4 each)Asclepiadaceae Chenopodiaceae Lamiaceae MalvaceaeMimosaceae and Onagraceae (3 each) Acanthaceae Oxali-daceae Papaveraceae Pedaliaceae Portulacaceae and Scro-phulariaceae (2 each) and Amaryllidaceae ApocynaceaeArecaceae Brassicaceae Cannabaceae Cuscutaceae Cac-taceae Liliaceae Polygonaceae Primulaceae PassifloraceaePiperaceae Rosaceae Sterculiaceae Ulmaceae Urticaceaeand Zygophyllaceae (1 species each) Of these aliens 15species were judged as noxious 43 species as interferingand 91 as naturalized species (Figure 1) Habit wise analy-sis shows that 80 of species are herbs 12 are shrubs6 are herbaceous climbers and 2 are trees (Figure 2)The eight dominant families contributed 47 of the invasivealien flora of wild terrestrial vegetation of north-easternUttarPradesh (Figure 3)

5 Discussion

Alien species are nonnative or exotic organisms that occuroutside their natural adapted ranges and dispersal potential





Table 1 Continued



Table 1 Continued



Table 1 Continued


195

74

6 654

47 474

25

20

15

10

5

0

Spec

ies (

)

Aste

race

ae

Con

volv

ulac

eae

Am

aran

thac

eae

Sola

nace

ae

Euph

orbi

acea

e

Caes

alpi

niac

eae

Poac

eae

Papi

liona

ceae


80

6

122

HerbsClimbers

ShrubsTrees



100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0


Num

ber o

f inv

asiv

e spe

cies










6 Conclusion




Acknowledgments


References






























































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics


















Table 1 Continued



Table 1 Continued



Table 1 Continued


195

74

6 654

47 474

25

20

15

10

5

0

Spec

ies (

)

Aste

race

ae

Con

volv

ulac

eae

Am

aran

thac

eae

Sola

nace

ae

Euph

orbi

acea

e

Caes

alpi

niac

eae

Poac

eae

Papi

liona

ceae


80

6

122

HerbsClimbers

ShrubsTrees



100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0


Num

ber o

f inv

asiv

e spe

cies










6 Conclusion




Acknowledgments


References






























































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics















Table 1 Continued



Table 1 Continued


195

74

6 654

47 474

25

20

15

10

5

0

Spec

ies (

)

Aste

race

ae

Con

volv

ulac

eae

Am

aran

thac

eae

Sola

nace

ae

Euph

orbi

acea

e

Caes

alpi

niac

eae

Poac

eae

Papi

liona

ceae


80

6

122

HerbsClimbers

ShrubsTrees



100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0


Num

ber o

f inv

asiv

e spe

cies










6 Conclusion




Acknowledgments


References






























































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics















Table 1 Continued


195

74

6 654

47 474

25

20

15

10

5

0

Spec

ies (

)

Aste

race

ae

Con

volv

ulac

eae

Am

aran

thac

eae

Sola

nace

ae

Euph

orbi

acea

e

Caes

alpi

niac

eae

Poac

eae

Papi

liona

ceae


80

6

122

HerbsClimbers

ShrubsTrees



100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0


Num

ber o

f inv

asiv

e spe

cies










6 Conclusion




Acknowledgments


References






























































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics



















6 Conclusion




Acknowledgments


References






























































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics






































































Journal of












Volume 2014

Advances in









Geophysics














research article invasive alien species of terrestrial...

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