Abstract Detail

Ecology

Marsico, Travis [1], Reed, Jennifer [2], Cunard, Chelsea [3], Whitehurst, Lauren [4], Burgess, Kevin [5], Lucardi, Rima [6].

International shipping ports as zones of inquiry for the release and maintenance of exotic plant species.

International shipping trade is an accelerating industry, and global commerce has the potential to continually homogenize global and regional phytodiversity through the introduction of non-native plant species. We sampled four times (2015-2016 in February, May, August, and November) for vascular plant species richness in necessary drainage zones, which are small and long disturbed greenspaces, on the container terminal at the Port of Savannah, Georgia, USA. The effort resulted in the discovery of over 130 species, of which 35% are non-native. When compared with other regional floristic inventories, the proportion of non-native taxa collected in our project is double to three times greater than in other studies. We found a few county records of non-native taxa or species with only one previous record from Chatham County, Georgia: for example, Macroptilium lathyroides and Portulaca amilis. Explanations for the high proportion of non-native taxa include the result of new introductions directly related to shipping and a heavily disturbed industrial environment that favors disturbance-tolerant species. Species identity is important in sites of international commercial distribution, such as seaports and intermodal sites, as new introductions may be federal noxious weeds or exotic species with the potential to become invasive. Our floristic inventory provides evidence that seaports are probable sites for these novel, non-native plant introductions.

1 - Arkansas State University, Department Of Biological Sciences, PO Box 599, State University, AR, 72467, USA
2 - Arkansas State University, Department of Biological Sciences, PO Box 599, State University, AR, 72467, USA
3 - Arkansas State University, Department of Biological Sciences, PO Box 599, State University, AR, 72467, United States
4 - Columbus State University, Department of Biology, Columbus, GA, 31907, USA
5 - Columbus State University, Biology, 4225 University Ave., Columbus, GA, 31907, USA
6 - USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

Keywords:
seaport
international shipping
invasive species.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 8, Ecology Section - Invasive Species
Location: Sundance 5/Omni Hotel
Date: Monday, June 26th, 2017
Time: 10:30 AM
Number: 8002
Abstract ID:510
Candidate for Awards:None