The capacity of lantana (Lantana camara L.) to displace native vegetation

摘要

Lantana (Lantana camara L.) is a highly aggressive exotic weed well established throughout eastern Australia and is able to displace native vegetation under a range of circumstances. Whether lantana is able to displace native vegetation in the absenceof anthroprogenic disturbance is subject of some disagreement in the literature. Some authors claim lantana can displace rainforest and resist its re-establishment. On the other hand, other authors claim that lantana cannot displace rainforest. Lantanain the rainforests of south-east Queensland is able to maintain large and dense patches apparently for long periods. This leaves open the question whether lantana in these forests is able to displace the forest or whether the rainforest displaces lantana. In this study lantana has been observed in a number of different locations in the border ranges between New South Wales and Queensland and there is little evidence of its capacity to displace forests in the absence of external disturbances. The study being pursued here explores the reasons for the apparent inability of lantana to displace forest and focuses particularly on the shading of lantana by the forest and the capacity of forest species to grow through patches of lantana.