Swallowwort: Analyzing the effects of a twining invasive forb in two Monroe County Parks
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Authors
Ward, Scott
Issue Date
2015-04-10
Type
poster_presentation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Swallowwort , Invasive , Plant , Non-Native , Disturbed , Cynanchum , Ecology
Alternative Title
Abstract
Pale swallowwort (Cynanchum rossicum) and Black swallowwort (Cynanchum lousieae) are now considered invasive within various plant communities throughout New York State. Both species have the ability to form dense, twining monocultures and may have varying effects on the success of other native and non-native species. In this study, we examined Pale swallowwort’s effect on herbaceous richness and woody plant regeneration. In two regenerating forests, we observed the percent cover of pale swallowwort and other species in 1m² quadrats placed at 5m increments along 50m transects which we ran perpendicular from the trails. We found that swallowwort’s abundance and possible reproductive success seemed to result from distance from trail and light availability. In addition, only the quadrats with swallowwort abundance below 30 % contained more than 10 other species, whereas many plots within disturbed woodlands showed both low swallowwort abundance and low species richness simultaneously. Although quadrats showed wide variation in overall species richness, swallowwort seems to be a possible cause to poorer growing conditions for other plant species.