Flood-induced recruitment of the invasive perennial herb 'Phyla canescens' (lippia)
'Phyla canescens' (Kunth) Greene, lippia, (Verbenaceae) is an important invasive species in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia. The general lack of quantitative information on aspects of the life-history of 'P. canescens' is a substantial impediment to the sustainable management of this species and the communities it invades. Complementary laboratory and field experiments investigated 'P. canescens' germination. A thermogradient plate was used to examine its germination response to a variety of temperature regimes. Recruitment in the field was investigated at four sites across two catchments following four season disturbances. In the laboratory trials, seeds required temperatures that alternated by at least 5°C, light, and to be covered by a thin film of water. Field germination occurred only at the one site that experienced a flood, despite periods of high rainfall that stimulated germination of other species. In this site seedling density and survivorship were reduced in the presence of existing vegetation. A survey of 'P. canescens' following flooding of a temporary billabong revealed recruitment from both seed and vegetative fragments. This recruitment was almost exclusively restricted to the area that had been flooded. The results suggest that 'P. canescens' requires inundation for successful recruitment and that these germination requirements are typical of species from disturbance-prone environments.
Periodic rest from grazing provided no control of an invasive perennial forb
This study examined if one grazing strategy (namely seasonal rest) was effective in the control of the invasive forb 'Phyla canescens' (Kunth) Greene (hereafter lippia). We examined if rest from grazing could increase the competitiveness of native palatable species by allowing time to recover from defoliation, thereby altering competitive interactions between native species and lippia. In a field trial, we manipulated cattle grazing to determine its effects on the biomass of lippia and native species. We compared rest from grazing at different times of the year with year-long grazing (low intensity continuous and high intensity short duration) and no grazing (permanently excluding large grazing animals). Experimental plots were stratified into different hydrological areas (approximately annual flooding and flooded less than once every 5 years) to include flood dynamics in the management scenarios. We detected no negative impacts of seasonal rest on lippia, but some positive effects on native species. We found that complete exclusion from grazing in areas that already have substantial lippia invasion (and no flooding) may actually favour the expansion of lippia (at certain times). This study does not suggest that grazing management cannot be used as a tool for lippia control - simply that seasonal resting had no effect over a 3-year period. This is likely due to the dynamics of a boom-and-bust landscape in which if the abiotic conditions are not suitable for growth, then native species will not grow whether grazed or rested.